Problem No. 354. (Proposed in Math Horizons, Vol. 24, No. 4, Apr 2017.

) Let an
be the number of divisors of n!, including 1 and n!. Now let bn = an+1 /an . Find
all limit points of the sequence (bn ). (Recall that a number x is a limit point of the
sequence if there exists a subsequence (bnk ) that converges to x.)

1 1
Solution. We will prove that {1 + q
| q Z+ } {1} are limit points of (bn ).

Given a positive integer n with prime factorization n = p1 1 pk k , the number of

divisors of n is the product (1 + 1) (k + 1).

The exponent of a prime p in n! can be found with Legendres formula

 
X n
p (n!) = ,
i=1
pi

where bxc = greatest integer less than or equal to x, or equivalently:

n sp (n)
p (n!) = ,
p1

where sp (n) = sum of the digits in the p-base expansion of n.

Y Y 1 + p ((n + 1)!)
We have an = (1 + p (n!)), and bn = .
p prime p prime
1 + p (n!)

Let n + 1 = p1 1 . . . pr r be the prime factorization of n + 1. Then (n + 1)! = n!(n + 1) =

n! p1 1 . . . pr r , hence

pj ((n + 1)!) = p (n!) + j ,

and p ((n + 1)!) = p (n!) for any prime p not dividing n + 1. Hence:

1Note: this is a partial solution, it would remain to determine if the limit points shown here are
the only limit points of the sequence.
 Y 1 + p ((n + 1)!)
bn =
p prime
1 + p (n!)
r
Y 1 + pj ((n + 1)!)
=
j=1
1 + pj ((n + 1)!) j
r  1
Y j
= 1
j=1
1 + pj ((n + 1)!)
1
r
Y
1 j
= n+1spj (n+1)

j=1 1+ pj 1
1
r
Y
= 1  j s (n+1)  .
p
j=1 1 + pn+1
j 1
1 jn+1
r1
Y
Next write n+1 = qpr r with q = pj (if r = 1 then q = 1), and look at subsequences
j=1
of bn with q fixed and pr picked as an increasingly large prime approaching infinity.
For q < pr we have that the pr -base expansion of n + 1 will consist of q followed by
r zeros, so spr (n + 1) = q, and we will have:
1 1
r1
r Y
bn = 1 r
  1 r
 j s (n+1) 
p
1 + qp r
pr 1
1 p1r j=1 1 + qp r
pj 1
1 jn+1
r

As pr all factors for j < r tend to 1, and for j = r the limit

1
r
Lr = lim 1 r
 
pr qpr 1
1 + pr 1 1 pr
r

depends on the value of r as follows:

- If r > 1 then Lr = 1.
- If r = 1 then Lr = 1 + 1q .

This shows that in fact the elements of {1 + 1q | q Z+ } {1} are limit points of (bn ).