Related papers: When is 0.999... equal to 1?

Let $v_1$, $v_2$, ..., $v_n$ be real numbers whose squares add up to 1. Consider the $2^n$ signed sums of the form $S = \sum \pm v_i$. Boppana and Holzman (2017) proved that at least 13/32 of these sums satisfy $|S| \le 1$. Here we improve…

One source of beauty in mathematics is totally unexpected connections between two fundamentally different objects. For instance, is it not surprising that the time period of a real simple pendulum is linked with a function arising out of…

We consider a family of integer sequences generated by nonlinear recurrences of the second order, which have the curious property that the terms of the sequence, and integer multiples of the ratios of successive terms (which are also…

The notions of potential infinity (understood as expressing a direction) and actual infinity (expressing a quantity) are investigated. It is shown that the notion of actual infinity is inconsistent, because the set of all (finite) natural…

The number of tuples with positive integers pairwise relatively prime to each other with product at most $n$ is considered. A generalization of $\mu^{2}$ where $\mu$ is the M\"{o}bius function is used to formulate this divisor sum and…

We define a sequence of positive integers recursively, where each term is determined as follows: starting with a given positive integer, if the term is odd, the next is the sum of its positive divisors; if the term is even, the subsequent…

Let n be a positive odd integer and let p>n+1 be a prime. We mainly derive the following congruence: $$\sum_{0<i_1<...<i_n<p}(i_1/3)(-1)^{i_1}/(i_1...i_n)=0 (mod p).$$

A well-known discovery of Feige's is the following: Let $X_1, \ldots, X_n$ be nonnegative independent random variables, with $\mathbb{E}[X_i] \leq 1 \;\forall i$, and let $X = \sum_{i=1}^n X_i$. Then for any $n$, \[\Pr[X < \mathbb{E}[X] +…

Pilz's conjecture states that for any finite set $A=\{a_1,a_2,\dots,a_k\}$ of positive integers and positive integer $n$ in the union of the sets $\{a_1,2a_1,\dots,na_1\},\dots, \{a_k,2a_k,\dots,na_k\}$ (considered as a multiset) at least…

This paper offers a solution method that allows one to find exact values for a large class of convergent series of rational terms. Sums of this form arise often in problems dealing with Quantum Field Theory.

The number of primes of a kind x^2+1 is infinite.

The decimal expansion of 1/7 is 0.142857142857..., the block 142857 repeating forever. We call 142857 the period and its length is 6 = 2x3. If the period is broken into 2 pieces each of length 3 which are then added, the result is 142 + 857…

The Dirichlet lambda function $\lambda(s)$ is defined for $\mathrm{Re}(s) > 1$ by \[ \lambda(s) = \sum_{n=0}^{\infty} \frac{1}{(2n+1)^s}. \] This function was initially studied by Euler on the real line, where he denoted it by $N(s)$. In…

Let $n$ be a positive integer and let $S$ be a sequence of $n$ integers in the interval $[0,n-1]$. If there is an $r$ such that any nonempty subsequence with sum $\equiv 0$ $\pmod n$ has length $=r,$ then $S$ has at most two distinct…

In this paper, we consider certain finite sums related to the "largest odd divisor", and we obtain, using simple ideas and recurrence relations, sharp upper and lower bounds for these sums.

Let $s(m,n)$ denote the classical \DED sum, where $n$ is a positive integer and $m\in\{0,1,\ldots, n-1\}$, $(m,n)=1$. For a given positive integer $k$, we describe a set of at most $k^2$ numbers $m$ for which $s(m,n)$ may be $\ge s(k,n)$,…

In recent years some near-optimal estimates have been established for certain sum-product type estimates. This paper gives some first extremal results which provide information about when these bounds may or may not be tight. The main tool…

The aim of the present article is to explore the possibilities of representing positive integers as sums of other positive integers and highlight certain fundamental connections between their multiplicative and additive properties. In…

A new inequality, $(x)^{p}+(1-x)^{\frac{1}{p}}\leq1$ for $p \geq 1$ and $\frac{1}{2} \geq x \geq 0$ is found and proved. The inequality looks elegant as it integrates two number pairs ($x$ and $1-x$, $p$ and $\frac{1}{p}$) whose summation…

We consider $n$-sided dice whose face values lie between $1$ and $n$ and whose faces sum to $n(n+1)/2$. For two dice $A$ and $B$, define $A \succ B$ if it is more likely for $A$ to show a higher face than $B$. Suppose $k$ such dice…