Polygonal Number Theorem

Kevin Lee 📧, Zhengkun Ye 📧 and Angeliki Koutsoukou-Argyraki 🌐 📧

August 10, 2023

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Abstract

We formalize the proofs of Cauchy's and Legendre's Polygonal Number Theorems given in Melvyn B. Nathanson's book "Additive Number Theory: The Classical Bases".

For m1, the k-th polygonal number of order m+2 is defined to be pm(k)=mk(k1)2+k. The theorems state that:

1. If m4 and N108m, then N can be written as the sum of m+1 polygonal numbers of order m+2, at most four of which are different from 0 or 1. If N324, then N can be written as the sum of five pentagonal numbers, at least one of which is 0 or 1.

2. Let m3 and N28m3. If m is odd, then N is the sum of four polygonal numbers of order m+2. If m is even, then N is the sum of five polygonal numbers of order m+2, at least one of which is 0 or 1.

We also formalize the proof of Gauss's theorem which states that every non-negative integer is the sum of three triangular numbers.

License

BSD License

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Related publications

Session Polygonal_Number_Theorem