A new proof of Dirichlet's theorem concerning prime numbers in arithmetic progressions
Abstract
It is known that there are infinitely-many prime numbers which take the form of a polynomial of degree one with integer coefficients, this is Dirichlet's theorem. We use an elementary sieving argument together with bounds on the prime number counting function to provide a new proof of Dirichlet's theorem. We show that if a∈ N,k∈ N,ak=(a,a+1,...,a+k-1) and A=\ p1,p2,...,pn\ , a finite set of primes. Then the number of components of ak that are divisible by some prime in A is less than or equal to Σ d|P(A)\\ d>1(-1)ω ( d) +1 kd +2n where ω ( d) is the number of distinct prime divisors of d and P(A)=Πp∈ Ap. We claim that the +2n in the bound can be replaced with n, the best possible bound. However, we did not demonstrate our claim in this paper since the +2n(bound) is enough for the new proof of Dirichlet's theorem. This result effectively means that given [1,x], x∈R; if the primes in A divide h integers in [1,x] then for every g>0, they will divide at most h+2|A| integers in [1+g,x+g].
Turn this paper into a lesson
ArcXiv compiles a structured reading guide from this paper's metadata: plain-English importance, contributions, prerequisite concepts, which sections to read first, flashcards, and a quiz. Grounded in the abstract, never invented.