Related papers: On covering numbers
Let $P$ be a non-torsion point on an elliptic curve defined over a number field $K$ and consider the sequence $\{B_n\}_{n\in \mathbb{N}}$ of the denominators of $x(nP)$. We prove that every term of the sequence of the $B_n$ has a primitive…
D.H. Lehmer found a quadratic polynomial such that 326 is a primitive root for the first 206 primes represented by this polynomial. It is shown that this is related to the class number one problem and prime producing quadratics. An…
An integral quadratic polynomial is called regular if it represents every integer that is represented by the polynomial itself over the reals and over the $p$-adic integers for every prime $p$. It is called complete if it is of the form…
For $n \geq 3,$ let $ p_n $ denote the $n^{\rm th}$ prime number. Let $[ \; ]$ denote the floor or greatest integer function. For a positive integer $m,$ let $\pi_2(m)$ denote the number of twin primes not exceeding $m.$ The twin prime…
Let $p$ be a prime and $p_1,\ldots, p_r$ be distinct prime divisors of $p-1$. We prove that the smallest positive integer $n$ which is a simultaneous $p_1,\ldots,p_r$-power nonresidue modulo $p$ satisfies $$ n<p^{1/4 -…
Let $p_1, p_2,..., p_n$ be distinct primes. In 1970, Erd\H os, Herzog and Sch\"{o}nheim proved that if $\cal D$ is a set of divisors of $N=p_1^{\alpha_1}...p_n^{\alpha_n}$, $\alpha_1\ge \alpha_2\ge...\ge \alpha_n$, no two members of the set…
The abc conjecture, one of the most famous open problems in number theory, claims that three positive integers satisfying a+b=c cannot simultaneously have significant repetition among their prime factors; in particular, the product of the…
Determining whether a given integer is prime or composite is a basic task in number theory. We present a primality test based on quantum order finding and the converse of Fermat's theorem. For an integer $N$, the test tries to find an…
Let $\omega^*(n)$ denote the number of divisors of $n$ that are shifted primes, that is, the number of divisors of $n$ of the form $p-1$, with $p$ prime. Studied by Prachar in an influential paper from 70 years ago, the higher moments of…
If $s$ is a positive integer and $A$ is a set of positive integers, we say that $B$ is an $s$-divisor of $A$ if $\sum_{b\in B} b\mid s\sum_{a\in A} a$. We study the maximal number of $k$-subsets of an $n$-element set that can be…
The degree of insulation of a prime $p$ is defined as the largest interval around it in which no other prime exists. Based on this, the $n$-th prime $p_{n}$ is said to be insulated if and only if its degree of insulation is higher than its…
We consider a modification of the classical number theoretic question about the gaps between consecutive primitive roots modulo a prime $p$, which by the well-known result of Burgess are known to be at most $p^{1/4+o(1)}$. Here we measure…
We consider the representation of primes as a sum of a prime and twice a triangular number. We prove that a subset of the primes having density 1 is expressible in this form. We conjecture that every odd prime number is expressible as a sum…
A composite positive integer $n$ is said to be a {\it weak Carmichael number} if $$ \sum_{\gcd(k,n)=1\atop 1\le k\le n-1}k^{n-1}\equiv \varphi(n) \pmod{n}. \leqno(1) $$ It is proved that a composite positive integer $n$ is a weak Carmichael…
We present a novel conjecture concerning the additive representation of natural numbers using prime powers. Based on extensive computational verification, we conjecture that every integer n > 23 can be expressed as a sum of at most five…
The concept of porous numbers is presented. A number $k$ which is not a multiple of 10 is called {\it porous} if every number $m$ with sum of digits = $k$ and $k$ a divisor of both $m$ and digit reversal of $m$ has a zero in its digits. It…
In this paper we establish connections between covers of $\mathbb Z$ by residue classes and subset sums in a field. Suppose that $A_0=\{a_s(n_s)\}_{s=0}^k$ covers each integer at least $p$ times with the residue class…
A set $\mathcal{A}\subset \mathbb{N}$ is called additively decomposable (resp. asymptotically additively decomposable) if there exist sets $\mathcal{B},\mathcal{C}\subset \mathbb{N}$ of cardinality at least two each such that…
If p is a prime and n a positive integer, let v(n) denote the exponent of p in n, and u(n)=n/p^{v(n)} the unit part of n. If k is a positive integer not divisible by p, we show that the p-adic limit of (-1)^{pke} u((kp^e)!) as e goes to…
An $integral$ of a group $G$ is a group $H$ whose derived group (commutator subgroup) is isomorphic to $G$. This paper discusses integrals of groups, and in particular questions about which groups have integrals and how big or small those…