Prove or disprove: $ \sum_{b \vee d = x} \tau(b) \tau(d) = \tau(x)^3$

150 Views Asked by At

Can somebody prove or disprove? Let $\tau$ be the divisors function, so that $\tau(6) = \#\{ 1,2,3,6\} = 4$

$$ \sum_{b \vee d = x} \tau(b) \tau(d) = \tau(x)^3$$

Here I am using $b \vee d = \mathrm{lcm}(b,d)$ since it is the join of two numbers in the multiplicative lattice $(\mathbb{N}, \times)$.


This statement seems to be true. Let's try $x = 6$. The left hand side is:

$$ 2\times\tau(6)\big[\tau(1)+\tau(2)+\tau(3)\big]+\tau(6)^2+ \tau(3)\big[\tau(2)+\tau(6)\big]+\tau(2)\big[\tau(3)+\tau(6)\big] = 64$$

and indeed $\tau(6)^3 = 64$.


One option is to try and take advantage of Dirichlet series identities:

\begin{eqnarray} \zeta(s)^2 &=& \sum \frac{\tau(n)}{n^s} \\ \frac{\zeta(s)^4}{\zeta(2s)} &=& \sum \frac{\tau(n)^2}{n^s} \\ \end{eqnarray}

Wikipedia doesn't mention and identity for $\tau(n)^3$. This is just one possible proof attack.

1

There are 1 best solutions below

0
On BEST ANSWER

If $x = p^n$, then we have $b\vee d = x$ if and only if $b = x$ or $d = x$, so

$$\sum_{b\vee d = p^n} \tau(b)\tau(d) = 2\tau(p^n)\sum_{k = 0}^n\tau(p^k) - \tau(p^n)^2 = 2(n+1)\frac{(n+1)(n+2)}{2} - (n+1)^2 = (n+1)^3.$$

The right hand side, $\tau(x)^3$ is multiplicative, and the left hand side

$$\sum_{b\vee d = x} \tau(b)\tau(d)$$

is also multiplicative, since for $\gcd(x,y) = 1$ we have

$$(b_1b_2)\vee (d_1d_2) = xy \iff (b_1\vee d_1 = x) \land (b_2\vee d_2 = y)$$

for divisors $b_1,d_1$ of $x$ and $b_2,d_2$ of $y$.

Thus indeed

$$\sum_{b\vee d = x} \tau(b)\tau(d) = \tau(x)^3.$$