Concerning the composition index of numbers (Q1404217): Difference between revisions

For \(n> 1\), let \(\gamma(n)= \prod_{p| n} p\) and define the index of composition by \(\lambda(n)= {\log n\over\log\gamma(n)}\), and put \(\lambda(1)= 1\). This function and its relationship with the \(abc\) conjecture was investigated by \textit{P. Ribenboim} in [Acta Arith. 96, 389--404 (2001; Zbl 1031.11056)], a study that is continued in the present paper. The authors begin by showing that \(\lambda\) and \(\lambda^{=1}\) both have asymptotic mean value 1, and that, for any \(\varepsilon> 0\) and any integer \(k\geq 2\), there are infinitely many positive integers \(n\) such that \[ Q_k(n):= \min(\lambda(n), \lambda(n+1),\dots, \lambda(n+ k- 1))> {k\over k-1}- \varepsilon. \] They then study the distribution function \[ F(z,x)= |\{n< x: \lambda(n)> z\}| \] for fixed with \(1< z< 2\), and obtain upper and lower bounds for \(x^{-1/z}F(z,x)\) for sufficiently large \(x\), the upper bound being valid also for \(z\geq 2\); these bounds differ only by the sign before an arbitrary \(\varepsilon> 0\) in an exponential expression. They deduce some probabilistic results for \(Q_k(n)\) that lead them to conjecture that, for each \(k\geq 2\), \(\limsup_{n\to\infty}\, Q_k(n)= {k\over k-1}\). They also show that the probability that the \(abc\) conjecture does not hold is \(0\).