§ 27.2. Functions
Contents
§ 27.2(i). Definitions
Functions in this section derive their properties from the fundamental
theorem of arithmetic, which states that every integer
can be
represented uniquely as a product of prime powers,
- Defines:
-
: number of distinct primes dividing
- Symbols:
-
: positive integer,
: prime numbers and
: primitive root
- Referenced by:
- §27.2(i), §27.3
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E1
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
where
are the distinct prime factors of
, each exponent
is positive, and
is the number of
distinct primes dividing
. (
is defined to be 0.)
Euclid's Elements (Euclid (1908, Book IX, Proposition 20)) gives an
elegant proof that there are infinitely many primes. Tables of primes (§27.21) reveal
great irregularity in their distribution. They tend to thin out among the large
integers, but this thinning out is not completely regular. There is great
interest in the function
that counts the number of
primes not exceeding
. It can be expressed as a sum over all primes
:
- Defines:
-
: number of primes
- Symbols:
-
: prime numbers and
: real number
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E2
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
Gauss and Legendre conjectured that
is asymptotic to
as
:
- Symbols:
-
: number of primes
,
: asymptotically equal and
: real number
- Referenced by:
- §27.11
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E3
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
(See Gauss (1863, Band II, pp. 437–477) and Legendre (1808, p. 394).)
This result, first proved in Hadamard (1896) and
de la Vallée Poussin (1896b, a), is known as
the prime number theorem. An equivalent form states that the
th prime
(when the primes are listed in increasing order) is asymptotic to
as
:
- Symbols:
-
: asymptotically equal,
: positive integer and
: prime numbers
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E4
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
(See also §27.12.) Other examples of number-theoretic functions treated in this chapter are as follows.
- Symbols:
: positive integer- Referenced by:
- §27.5
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E5
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
- Defines:
-
: Euler's totient function - Symbols:
-
: positive integer,
: positive integer and
: positive integer
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E6
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
the sum of the
th powers of the positive integers
that are
relatively prime to
.
- Defines:
-
: Euler's totient function - Symbols:
: positive integer- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E7
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
This is the number of positive integers
that are relatively prime to
;
is Euler's totient.
If
, then the Euler-Fermat theorem states that
- Defines:
-
: primitive root - Symbols:
-
: Euler's totient function and
: positive integer
- A&S Ref:
- 24.3.2 II.B
- Referenced by:
- §27.16, §27.8
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E8
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
and if
is the smallest positive integer
such that
, then
is a primitive root mod
. The
numbers
are
relatively prime to
and distinct (mod
). Such a set is a reduced
residue system modulo
.
- Defines:
-
: divisor function - Symbols:
-
: positive integer and
: positive integer
- A&S Ref:
- 24.3.3 I.A
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E9
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
is the number of divisors of
and is the divisor function. It is the
special case
of the function
that counts the
number of ways of expressing
as the product of
factors, with the order
of factors taken into account.
- Defines:
-
: sum of powers of divisors and
: parameter - Symbols:
-
: positive integer and
: positive integer
- A&S Ref:
- 24.3.3 I.A
- Referenced by:
- §27.14(ii)
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E10
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
is the sum of the
th powers of the divisors of
, where the exponent
can be real or complex. Note that
.
- Defines:
-
: Jordan's function - Symbols:
-
: positive integer,
: positive integer and
: positive integer
- Referenced by:
- §27.2(i)
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E11
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
is the number of
-tuples of integers
whose greatest common divisor
is relatively prime to
. This is Jordan's function. Note that
.
In the following examples,
are the exponents
in the factorization of
in (27.2.1).
- Defines:
-
: Möbius function - Symbols:
-
: number of distinct primes dividing
,
: positive integer and
: primitive root
- A&S Ref:
- 24.3.1 I.A
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E12
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
This is the Möbius function.
- Defines:
-
: Liouville's function - Symbols:
-
: number of distinct primes dividing
,
: positive integer and
: primitive root
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E13
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
This is Liouville's function.
- Defines:
-
: Mangoldt's function - Symbols:
-
: positive integer,
: prime numbers and
: primitive root
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.E14
- Encodings:
- TeX, pMathML, png
where
is a prime power with
; otherwise
. This is Mangoldt's function.
§ 27.2(ii). Tables
Table 27.2.1 lists the first 100 prime numbers
.
Table 27.2.2 tabulates the Euler totient function
, the divisor function
(
), and the sum of the divisors
(
), for
.
| 1 | 2 | 31 | 73 | 127 | 179 | 233 | 283 | 353 | 419 | 467 |
| 2 | 3 | 37 | 79 | 131 | 181 | 239 | 293 | 359 | 421 | 479 |
| 3 | 5 | 41 | 83 | 137 | 191 | 241 | 307 | 367 | 431 | 487 |
| 4 | 7 | 43 | 89 | 139 | 193 | 251 | 311 | 373 | 433 | 491 |
| 5 | 11 | 47 | 97 | 149 | 197 | 257 | 313 | 379 | 439 | 499 |
| 6 | 13 | 53 | 101 | 151 | 199 | 263 | 317 | 383 | 443 | 503 |
| 7 | 17 | 59 | 103 | 157 | 211 | 269 | 331 | 389 | 449 | 509 |
| 8 | 19 | 61 | 107 | 163 | 223 | 271 | 337 | 397 | 457 | 521 |
| 9 | 23 | 67 | 109 | 167 | 227 | 277 | 347 | 401 | 461 | 523 |
| 10 | 29 | 71 | 113 | 173 | 229 | 281 | 349 | 409 | 463 | 541 |
- Symbols:
-
: positive integer and
: prime numbers
- Referenced by:
- §27.2(ii), §27.2(ii)
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.T1
| 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 14 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 27 | 18 | 4 | 40 | 40 | 16 | 8 | 90 |
| 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 8 | 4 | 24 | 28 | 12 | 6 | 56 | 41 | 40 | 2 | 42 |
| 3 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 8 | 5 | 31 | 29 | 28 | 2 | 30 | 42 | 12 | 8 | 96 |
| 4 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 16 | 2 | 18 | 30 | 8 | 8 | 72 | 43 | 42 | 2 | 44 |
| 5 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 18 | 6 | 6 | 39 | 31 | 30 | 2 | 32 | 44 | 20 | 6 | 84 |
| 6 | 2 | 4 | 12 | 19 | 18 | 2 | 20 | 32 | 16 | 6 | 63 | 45 | 24 | 6 | 78 |
| 7 | 6 | 2 | 8 | 20 | 8 | 6 | 42 | 33 | 20 | 4 | 48 | 46 | 22 | 4 | 72 |
| 8 | 4 | 4 | 15 | 21 | 12 | 4 | 32 | 34 | 16 | 4 | 54 | 47 | 46 | 2 | 48 |
| 9 | 6 | 3 | 13 | 22 | 10 | 4 | 36 | 35 | 24 | 4 | 48 | 48 | 16 | 10 | 124 |
| 10 | 4 | 4 | 18 | 23 | 22 | 2 | 24 | 36 | 12 | 9 | 91 | 49 | 42 | 3 | 57 |
| 11 | 10 | 2 | 12 | 24 | 8 | 8 | 60 | 37 | 36 | 2 | 38 | 50 | 20 | 6 | 93 |
| 12 | 4 | 6 | 28 | 25 | 20 | 3 | 31 | 38 | 18 | 4 | 60 | 51 | 32 | 4 | 72 |
| 13 | 12 | 2 | 14 | 26 | 12 | 4 | 42 | 39 | 24 | 4 | 56 | 52 | 24 | 6 | 98 |
- Symbols:
-
: Euler's totient function,
: divisor function,
: sum of powers of divisors and
: positive integer
- Referenced by:
- §27.2(ii), §27.2(ii)
- Permalink:
- http://dlmf.nist.gov/27.2.T2

