Problem:
Let denote the number of positive integer divisors of . For example, since has positive divisors, namely, , and . Prove that for all positive integers ,
Problem:
Let denote the number of positive integer divisors of . For example, since has positive divisors, namely, , and . Prove that for all positive integers ,
Solution:
For any integer and set of integers , let be the number of multiples of in . We can count the number of pairs with dividing in two different ways, as follows:
- For each , there are pairs that include , one for each divisor of .
- For each , there are pairs that include , one for each multiple of .
Therefore,
Let
be the set of odd and, respectively, the set of even integers between and . It suffices to show that
Since the elements of only have odd divisors,
For any odd , consider the multiples of between and . They form a sequence
alternating between odd and even terms. There are either an equal number of odd and even terms, or there is one more odd term than even terms. Therefore, we have the inequality
for all odd . Combining this with the previous observations gives us the desired inequality: