Ursinus College Digital Commons @ Ursinus College Transforming Instruction in Undergraduate Number Theory Mathematics via Primary Historical Sources (TRIUMPHS) Winter 2020 The Mobius Function and Mobius Inversion Carl Lienert Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/triumphs_number Part of the Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Educational Methods Commons, Higher Education Commons, Number Theory Commons, and the Science and Mathematics Education Commons Click here to let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Recommended Citation Lienert, Carl, "The Mobius Function and Mobius Inversion" (2020). Number Theory. 12. https://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/triumphs_number/12 This Course Materials is brought to you for free and open access by the Transforming Instruction in Undergraduate Mathematics via Primary Historical Sources (TRIUMPHS) at Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. It has been accepted for inclusion in Number Theory by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Ursinus College. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. The Möbius Function and Möbius Inversion Carl Lienert∗ January 16, 2021 August Ferdinand Möbius (1790–1868) is perhaps most well known for the one-sided Möbius strip and, in geometry and complex analysis, for the Möbius transformation. In number theory, Möbius’ name can be seen in the important technique of Möbius inversion, which utilizes the important Möbius function. In this PSP we’ll study the problem that led Möbius to consider and analyze the Möbius function. Then, we’ll see how other mathematicians, Dedekind, Laguerre, Mertens, and Bell, used the Möbius function to solve a different inversion problem.1 Finally, we’ll use Möbius inversion to solve a problem concerning Euler’s totient function.