Related papers: Mills' constant is irrational

For an irrational number $\alpha\in\mathbb{R}$ we consider its irrationality measure function $$ \psi_\alpha(x) = \min_{1\le q\le x,\, q\in\mathbb{Z}} \| q\alpha \|. $$ It is known for all irrational numbers $\alpha$ and $\beta$ satisfying…

We study the rational dynamics of the map $\mathcal{T}(x)=\lfloor x\rfloor(1+\{x\})$, which appears in the recursive construction of the prime-representing constant of Fridman, Garbulsky, Glecer, Grime and Florentin. For a rational number…

Let pi(x) denote the number of primes smaller or equal to x. We compare sqrt{pi}(x) with sqrt{R}(x) and sqrt{li}(x), where R(x) and li(x) are the Riemann function and the logarithmic integral, respectively. We show a regularity in the…

For each positive integer n greater than or equal to 2, a new approach to expressing real numbers as sequences of nonnegative integers is given. The n=2 case is equivalent to the standard continued fraction algorithm. For n=3, it reduces to…

There are only aleph-zero rational numbers, while there are 2 to the power aleph-zero real numbers. Hence the probability that a randomly chosen real number would be rational is 0. Yet proving rigorously that any specific, natural, real…

The existence of infinitely many consecutive prime triples $p_n$, $ p_{n+1}$, and $p_{n+2}$ as $n \to \infty$, is sufficient to prove that the Catalan constant $\beta(2)=0.9159655941\ldots $ is an irrational number. This note provides the…

A general technique for proving the irrationality of the zeta constants $\zeta(s)$ for odd $s = 2n + 1 \geq 3$ from the known irrationality of the beta constants $L(2n+1)$ is developed in this note. The results on the irrationality of the…

By modifying Beukers' proof of Apery's theorem that zeta(3) is irrational, we derive criteria for irrationality of Euler's constant, gamma. For n > 0, we define a double integral I(n) and a positive integer S(n), and prove that if d(n) =…

About fifty years ago Mahler proved that if $\alpha>1$ is rational but not an integer and if $0<l<1$ then the fractional part of $\alpha^n$ is $>l^n$ apart from a finite set of integers $n$ depending on $\alpha$ and $l$. Answering…

We consider integer sequences that satisfy a recursion of the form $x_{n+1} = P(x_n)$ for some polynomial $P$ of degree $d > 1$. If such a sequence tends to infinity, then it satisfies an asymptotic formula of the form $x_n \sim A…

We show that every irrational number is a sum of two real numbers with diverging partial quotients. The proof is constructive. The key towards these results is an algorithm which was recently developed by Nikita Shulga, and our study of…

An interesting episode in the history of the prime number theorem concerns a formula proposed by Legendre for counting the primes below a given bound. We point out that arithmetic bias likely played an important role in arriving at that…

Euler gave recipes for converting alternating series of two types, I and II, into equivalent continued fractions, i.e., ones whose convergents equal the partial sums. A condition we prove for irrationality of a continued fraction then…

We prove that a real number a greater than or equal to 2 is the irrationality exponent of some computable real number if and only if a is the upper limit of a computable sequence of rational numbers. Thus, there are computable real numbers…

Denote by $\sigma_k(n)$ the sum of the $k$-th powers of the divisors of $n$, and let $S_k=\sum_{n\geq 1}\frac{\sigma_k(n)}{n!}$. We prove that Schinzel's conjecture H implies that $S_k$ is irrational, and give an unconditional proof for the…

Questions concerning small fractional parts of polynomials and pseudo-polynomials have a long history in analytic number theory. In this paper, we improve on earlier work by Madritsch and Tichy. In particular, let $f=P+\phi$ where $P$ is a…

Let $\alpha=0.a_1a_2a_3\ldots$ be an irrational number in base $b>1$, where $0\leq a_i<b$. The number $\alpha \in (0,1)$ is a \textit{normal number} if every block $(a_{n+1}a_{n+2}\ldots a_{n+k})$ of $k$ digits occurs with probability…

The 3x+1 semigroup is the multiplicative semigroup generated by the rational numbers of form (2k+1)/(3k+2) for non-negative k, together with 2. This semigroup encodes backward iteration under the 3x+1 map, and the 3x+1 conjecture implies…

We report the finding of the new upper bound on the lowest positive integer $x$ for which the Mertens conjecture \begin{equation*} \left| \sum_{1 \leq n \leq x} \mu(n) \right| < \sqrt{x} \end{equation*} fails to hold: $x < \exp(1.017 \times…

The Collatz Conjecture (also known as the 3x+1 Problem) proposes that the following algorithm will, after a certain number of iterations, always yield the number 1: given a natural number, multiply by three and add one if the number is odd,…