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In number theory
Number theory (or arithmetic or higher arithmetic in older usage) is a branch of pure mathematics devoted primarily to the study of the integers and integer-valued functions. German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss (1777–1855) said, "Math ...
, a deficient number or defective number is a number ''n'' for which the sum of divisors
In mathematics, and specifically in number theory, a divisor function is an arithmetic function related to the divisors of an integer. When referred to as ''the'' divisor function, it counts the ''number of divisors of an integer'' (includin ...
of ''n'' is less than 2''n''. Equivalently, it is a number for which the sum of proper divisors (or aliquot sum) is less than ''n''. For example, the proper divisors of 8 are 1, 2, and 4, and their sum is less than 8, so 8 is deficient.
Denoting by ''σ''(''n'') the sum of divisors, the value 2''n'' − ''σ''(''n'') is called the number's deficiency. In terms of the aliquot sum ''s''(''n''), the deficiency is ''n'' − ''s''(''n'').
Examples
The first few deficient numbers are :1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 19, 21, 22, 23, 25, 26, 27, 29, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 37, 38, 39, 41, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 49, 50, ... As an example, consider the number 21. Its divisors are 1, 3, 7 and 21, and their sum is 32. Because 32 is less than 42, the number 21 is deficient. Its deficiency is 2 × 21 − 32 = 10.Properties
Since the aliquot sums of prime numbers equal 1, allprime number
A prime number (or a prime) is a natural number greater than 1 that is not a product of two smaller natural numbers. A natural number greater than 1 that is not prime is called a composite number. For example, 5 is prime because the only way ...
s are deficient. More generally, all odd numbers with one or two distinct prime factors are deficient. It follows that there are infinitely many odd deficient numbers. There are also an infinite number of even deficient numbers as all powers of two have the sum ().
More generally, all prime power
In mathematics, a prime power is a positive integer which is a positive integer power of a single prime number.
For example: , and are prime powers, while
, and are not.
The sequence of prime powers begins:
2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 8, 9, 11, 13, 16, ...
s are deficient because their only proper divisors are which sum to , which is at most .
All proper divisor
In mathematics, a divisor of an integer n, also called a factor of n, is an integer m that may be multiplied by some integer to produce n. In this case, one also says that n is a multiple of m. An integer n is divisible or evenly divisible by ...
s of deficient numbers are deficient. Moreover, all proper divisors of perfect number
In number theory, a perfect number is a positive integer that is equal to the sum of its positive divisors, excluding the number itself. For instance, 6 has divisors 1, 2 and 3 (excluding itself), and 1 + 2 + 3 = 6, so 6 is a perfect number.
T ...
s are deficient.
There exists at least one deficient number in the interval