Digital Library of Mathematical Functions
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27 Functions of Number TheoryMultiplicative Number Theory

§27.5 Inversion Formulas

If a Dirichlet series F(s) generates f(n), and G(s) generates g(n), then the product F(s)G(s) generates

called the Dirichlet product (or convolution) of f and g. The set of all number-theoretic functions f with f(1)\neq 0 forms an abelian group under Dirichlet multiplication, with the function \left\lfloor 1/n\right\rfloor in (27.2.5) as identity element; see Apostol (1976, p. 129). The multiplicative functions are a subgroup of this group. Generating functions yield many relations connecting number-theoretic functions. For example, the equation \mathop{\zeta\/}\nolimits\!\left(s\right)\cdot(\ifrac{1}{\mathop{\zeta\/}%
\nolimits\!\left(s\right)})=1 is equivalent to the identity

27.5.2\sum_{{d\divides n}}\mathop{\mu\/}\nolimits\!\left(d\right)=\left\lfloor\frac{%
1}{n}\right\rfloor,

which, in turn, is the basis for the Möbius inversion formula relating sums over divisors:

27.5.3g(n)=\sum_{{d\divides n}}f(d)\Longleftrightarrow f(n)=\sum_{{d\divides n}}g(d)%
\mathop{\mu\/}\nolimits\!\left(\frac{n}{d}\right).

Special cases of Möbius inversion pairs are:

Other types of Möbius inversion formulas include:

27.5.8g(n)=\prod_{{d\divides n}}f(d)\Longleftrightarrow f(n)=\prod_{{d\divides n}}%
\left(g\left(\frac{n}{d}\right)\right)^{{\mathop{\mu\/}\nolimits\!\left(d%
\right)}}.

For a general theory of Möbius inversion with applications to combinatorial theory see Rota (1964).