Chapter 1 Euler's Product Formula
Chapter 1 Euler’s Product Formula 1.1 The Product Formula The whole of analytic number theory rests on one marvellous formula due to Leonhard Euler (1707-1783): −1 X n−s = Y 1 − p−s . n∈N, n>0 primes p Informally, we can understand the formula as follows. By the Funda- mental Theorem of Arithmetic, each n ≥ 1 is uniquely expressible in the form n = 2e2 3e3 5e5 ··· , where e2, e3, e5,... are non-negative integers (all but a finite number being 0). Raising this to the power −s, n−s = 2−e2s3−e3s5−e5s ··· . Adding for n = 1, 2, 3,... , X n−s = 1 + 2−s + 2−2s + ··· 1 + 3−s + 3−2s + ··· 1 + 5−s + 5−2s + ··· ··· , each term on the left arising from just one product on the right. But for each prime p, −1 1 + p−s + p−2s + ··· = 1 − p−s , and the result follows. Euler’s Product Formula equates the Dirichlet series P n−s on the left with the infinite product on the right. 1–1 1.2. INFINITE PRODUCTS 1–2 To make the formula precise, we must develop the theory of infinite prod- ucts, which we do in the next Section. To understand the implications of the formula, we must develop the the- ory of Dirichlet series, which we do in the next Chapter. 1.2 Infinite products 1.2.1 Definition Infinite products are less familiar than infinite series, but are no more com- plicated. Both are examples of limits of sequences. Definition 1.1. The infinite product Y cn n∈N is said to converge to ` 6= 0 if the partial products Y Pn = cm → ` as n → ∞.
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