Integrating prime counting function 1

Calculus Level 5

1 π ( x ) x 8 d x = P ( b ) a \large \int_1^\infty \dfrac{\pi(x)}{x^8}\, dx=\dfrac{P(b)}{a} If the equation above holds true for positive integers a a and b b , find a + b a+b .

Details and Assumptions:


The answer is 14.

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2 solutions

Mark Hennings
Apr 25, 2016

For any n > 2 n > 2 we have 1 π ( x ) x n d x = 1 p x 1 x n d x = p p 1 x n d x \int_1^\infty \frac{\pi(x)}{x^n}\,dx \; =\; \int_1^\infty \sum_{p \le x} \frac{1}{x^n}\,dx \; = \; \sum_p \int_p^\infty \frac{1}{x^n}\,dx using Fubini's Theorem to reverse the order of summation and integration. Thus 1 π ( x ) x n d x = p 1 ( n 1 ) p n 1 = 1 n 1 P ( n 1 ) . \int_1^\infty \frac{\pi(x)}{x^n}\,dx \; = \; \sum_p \frac{1}{(n-1)p^{n-1}} \; =\; \tfrac{1}{n-1}P(n-1) \;. In our case ( n = 8 n=8 ), we obtain the answer 7 + 7 = 14 7+7 = \boxed{14} .

Sal Gard
Apr 27, 2016

Our goal is to turn this into a sum so we can use the prime zeta function. Using that intuition, we can integrate by parts leaving us with 1/7 the integral of the derivative of the function over x^7. Since we are integrating our derivative, hitting infinity only at the infinitesimal point at the prime itself, we can sum 1/7(sum of the seventh powers of the reciprocals of the primes). Hence 7+7=14.

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