High Quality
Open the downloaded document, and select print from the file menu (PDF reader required).
Coprimes
BenBarad May20,2008
Whatistheprobabilitythattworandomlyselectedintegers willberelativelyprime?
RelativelyPrime
TwonumbersarerelativelyprimewhentheirGreatestCom- monDenominatoris1.Thisoccursonlywhentwonumberssharenoprime factors.
Let'sbeginwiththebasics
Theprobabilityofarandomlyselectedintegerbeingdivisiblebyintegernis
1
n
Thereforetheprobabilitythatarandomlyselectedintegerisdivisiblebyprime
p
i
is
1
p
i
Thereforetheprobabilitythattworandomlyselectedintegerswillbothbedi- visiblebyprime
p
i
is
1
p
i
2
Theprobabilitythattworandomlyselectedintegerswillnotbothbedivisible byprime
p
i
willthereforebe
P
notdivisible
= 1
−
1
p
2
i
= 1
−
p
−
2
i
=1
11
−
p
−
2
i
1
Theprobabilitythattworandomlyselectedintegerswillnotbothbedivisi- blebyanyprimeisthus
∞
i
=1
1
11
−
p
−
2
i
=1
∞
i
=1
11
−
p
−
2
i
Theredoesn'tseemtobemuchtobedonewiththisproblematthispoint. However,wecanmakeaconnectionfromthisfunctiontoanotheronethatwe havemoreinformationabout.LetslookattheRiemannZetaFunctiononthe integers.
TheRiemannZetaFunctionat
s
= 2
ζ
(2) =
∞
n
=1
1
n
2
ζ
(2) = 1 +12
2
+13
2
+14
2
+
...
12
2
ζ
(2) =12
2
+14
2
+16
2
+18
2
+
...
1
−
12
2
ζ
(2) = 1 +13
2
+15
2
+17
2
+
...
13
2
1
−
12
2
ζ
(2) =13
2
+19
2
+115
2
+121
2
+
...
1
−
13
2
1
−
12
2
ζ
(2) = 1 +15
2
+17
2
+111
2
+113
2
+
...
15
2
1
−
13
2
1
−
12
2
=15
2
+125
2
+135
2
+
...
1
−
15
2
1
−
13
2
1
−
12
2
ζ
(2) = 1 +17
2
+111
2
+113
2
+117
2
+
...
Andsoon. 2
Thisworksbecauseeachnumberexcept1hasatleastoneprimefactor,and sowillberemovedwhenthemultiplesofthatprimeareremoved.Whenthis processisgeneralized,theresultis
∞
i
=1
1
−
p
−
2
i
ζ
(2) = 1
Andthus
ζ
(2) =
∞
i
=1
11
−
p
−
2
i
ThuswecantalkinsteadabouttheRiemannZetaFunctionat2,whichhas aknownvalue.Theproblem,knownastheBaselproblem,wassolvedbyEuler originally.
TheBaselProblem
WeknowtheTaylorseriesfor
sin
(
x
) :sin(
x
) =
x
−
x
3
3!+
x
5
5!
−
x
7
7!+
...
Dividingthisthroughby
x
,weget
sin
(
x
)
x
= 1
−
x
2
3!+
x
4
5!
−
x
6
7!+
...
Nowremember,thezero'sof
sin
(
x
)
x
occurat
nπ
,wherenisthegroupofnonzero integers.
n
=
±
1
,
±
2
,
±
3
,...
Sincewhatwearelookingatisapolynomial,wecanrepresentitastheproduct ofitsroots:
sin
(
x
)
x
=
1
−
xπ
1 +
xπ
1
−
x
2
π
1 +
x
2
π
1
−
x
3
π
1 +
x
3
π
...
Multiplyingeachtwofactorsintheproduct,
sin
(
x
)
x
=
1
−
x
2
π
2
1
−
x
2
4
π
2
1
−
x
2
9
π
2
...
Thuswhenwemultiplytheproductout,thecoecienton
x
2
willbe
−
1
π
2
+14
π
2
+19
π
2
+
...
=
−
1
π
2
∞
n
=1
1
n
2
3
Add a Comment