Exercise · ZW-DIVISOR-FUNCTIONS-008 · ★★☆ Intermediate

Compute \( \sigma_2(4) \), the sum of the squares of the positive divisors of \( 4 \).

Choose one option.

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  • C. 21

Explanation

The divisors of 4 are 1, 2 and 4, and \( 1+4+16=21 \). The option giving 7 adds the divisors without squaring them.

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Review the concept: Divisor functions

The divisor functions \( \sigma_k(n) \) and \( \tau(n) \) give, respectively, the sum of the \( k \)-th powers and the number of positive divisors of an integer \( n \geq 1 \).

\[\sigma_k(n)=\sum_{d\mid n} d^{k},\quad \tau(n)=\sigma_0(n)\]

More practice problems: divisor functions

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