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3 Solutions
1. Find the five smallest positive deficient numbers and justify why each is deficient.
Solution: We have
n = 1 σ(1) = 1 < 2(1)
n = 2 σ(2) = 3 < 2(2)
n = 3 σ(3) = 4 < 2(3)
n = 4 σ(4) = 7 < 2(4)
n = 5 σ(5) = 6 < 2(5)
2. Find the five smallest positive perfect numbers and justify why each is perfect.
Solution: We have
n=6 σ(6) = σ(2 · 3) = 12 = 2(6)
n = 28 σ(28) = σ(22 · 7) = 56 = 2(28)
n = 496 σ(496) = σ(24 · 31) = 992 = 2(496)
n = 8128 σ(8128) = σ(26 · 127) = 16256 = 2(8128)
n = 33550336 σ(33550336) = σ(212 · 8191) = 67100672 = 2(33550336)
3. Find the five smallest positive abundant numbers and justify why each is abundant.
Solution: We have
n = 12 σ(12) = 28 > 2(8)
n = 18 σ(18) = 39 > 2(18)
n = 20 σ(20) = 42 > 2(20)
n = 24 σ(24) = 60 > 2(24)
n = 30 σ(30) = 72 > 2(30)
4. Show that if a and b are positive integers and p and q are distinct odd primes then n = pa q b is deficient.
Solution: Assume p > q > 2. We must show that σ(pa q b ) < 2pa q b . Observe that
a+1 b+1 a+1 b+1
a b p −1 q −1 p q p q
σ(p q ) = < = pa q b
p−1 q−1 p−1 q−1 p−1 q−1
p q
so it suffices to show that p−1 q−1 < 2. Rewriting this desired inequality as
p q
<2
p−1 q−1
pq < 2(p − 1)(q − 1)
pq < 2pq − 2p − 2q + 2
0 < pq − 2p − 2q + 2
2 < (p − 2)(q − 2)
Since p > q > 2 we have (p − 2)(q − 2) > (5 − 2)(3 − 2) = 3 > 2 so since the final inequality is true and
the chain of inequalities is reversible the first must be true. So finally we can say
a b p q
σ(p q ) < pa q b < 2pa q b
p−1 q−1
and so pa q b is deficient.
5. Prove that a perfect square cannot be a perfect number.
Solution: Since n is a perfect square we have n = 2k pk11 ...pki i where the pi are the primes other than
2 and all the k are even.
First we’ll count the number of odd divisors. Since these are the ones with no 2 in them we have
(k1 + 1)...(ki + 1) of them. Since each ki is even this product is odd. Therefore n has an odd number
of odd divisors.
But now observe that the sum of all the divisors of n is the sum of the odd divisors plus the sum of
the even divisors. Since we have an odd number of odd divisors they sum to an odd number. The even
divisors sum to an even number. Thus the sum of all the divisors is odd and cannot equal 2n. Thus n
is not perfect.
6. Prove that if n is not a perfect square then τ (n) is even.
Solution: We’ll prove that τ (n) odd implies n is a perfect square. Suppose n = pk11 ...pki i then
τ (n) = (k1 + 1)...(ki + 1). For this to be odd we need all the kj + 1 odd meaning all the ki even. Thus
2
ki = 2ji for all i and then n = pj11 ...pji i .