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Bernoulli Numbers
Bernoulli Numbers
Contents
1 Definitions
2 How to Compute Bn s
3 Some Facts
4 Generating function
4
4
Abstract
Bernoulli Numbers1 are a key figure in number theory. They are extremely useful in understanding
Riemann Zeta function. Despite there are many characterization of Bernoulli numbers we will see only
recursive equation in which we will use pascals Triangle.
Definitions
Bj = 0
(1)
One can also define the Bernoulli numbers using Pascals triangle
Definition 1.2.
B0 = 1
B2 + 2B1 + 1 = B2
B3 + 3B2 + 3B1 + 1 = B3
B4 + 4B3 + 6B2 + 4B1 + 1 = B4
B5 + 5B4 + 10B3 + 10B2 + 5B1 + 1 = B5
B6 + 6B5 + 15B4 + 20B3 + 15B2 + 6B1 + 1 = B6
B7 + 7B6 + 21B5 + 35B4 + 35B3 + 21B2 + 7B1 + 1 = B7
..
.
1 Discovered
by Jacob Bernoulli(1654 1705) and discussed by him in a posthumous work Ars Conjectandi(1713).
convention if B1 = 1
, the given Bernoulli sequence is called first Bernoulli numbers and second Bernoulli
2
numbers if B1 = 12 .
2 By
How to Compute Bn s
B1 =
1
,
2
B2 =
1
,
6
B3 = 0,
B4 =
1
,
30
B5 = 0,
B6 =
1
,
42
(2)
Some Facts
an n
n0 n! z , g(z)
bn n
n0 n! z
n
X
n
with dn =
ak bnk
k
(3)
k=0
a0 b0
0!0! .
(4)
n
X
ak bnk
k!(n k)!
(5)
k=0
cn z n
(6)
n0
n
X
ak bnk
k!(n k)!
k=0
n
X
n!ak bnk
=
k!(n k)!
k=0
n
X
n
=
ak bnk
k
k=0
(7)
n
X
n
with dn =
ak bnk
k
k=0
Generating function
X Bn
zn,
n!
(8)
n0
zn
n!
n!
n0
n0
n
n
X X
n
z
=
Bk
n!
k
ez G(z) =
n0
(9)
by lemma (3.1).
(10)
k=0
with B0 = 1.
n
X
n
n
Bj + Bn =
Bj = 0 + Bn = Bn
j
j
j=0
(11)
Bn
n0
zn
= z + G(z)
n!
(12)
N.B. The z at the bottom comes from the fact that at n = 1, our result is
(B1 + 1)
z1
B1 1
=
z +z
1!
1!
3 They
z
ez 1
(13)
Bn
n1
n6=1
zn
z
z
= z
n!
e 1 2
(14)
z
z
2z + z(ez 1)
=
1 2
2(ez 1)
z
z (e + 1)
=
2 (ez 1)
z/2
z
e
z (e + 1)
=
2 (ez 1)
ez/2
z/2
z
e + ez/2
=
2
ez/2 ez/2
z
2
is even function).
z/2
z/2
ez/2 + e(z/2)
z
e
+ ez/2
z
e + ez/2
=
=
2
2
ez/2 e(z/2)
ez/2 ez/2
ez/2 ez/2
P
n
But this means that the same must hold true for n1 Bn zn! . Since in (14), we showed that they are equal
z
2
n6=1
Bn
n1
n6=1
X
X
(z)n
zn
zn
=
Bn
=
(1)n Bn
n!
n!
n!
n1
n6=1
n1
n6=1
(15)
Thus, Bn = 0, whenever n is odd. Since we have excluded the case n = 1, we conclude that
B2i+1 = 0 if i 1.
6
6.1
kn =
n
1 X n+1
Bk mn+1k
n+1
k
k=0
(16)
Acknowledgments
It is a pleasure to thank my mentor.
References
[1] Ronald L. Graham, Donald E. Knuth, Oren Patashnik, Concrete Mathematics, Addison-Wesley, 1989.
[2] Martin Aigner and G
unter M. Ziegler, Proofs from THE BOOK, Springer, 4th ed, 2009.
[3] G. H. Hardy and M. Wright An Introduction to the Theory of Numbers, 6th ed, 2008.
[4] John H. Conway and Richard K. Guy The Book of Numbers (1996).
[5] [Thomas Koshy] Catalan numbers with Application pp. 382.