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ZENODO
Journal . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: ZENODO
ZENODO
Journal . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
ZENODO
Journal . 2026
License: CC BY
Data sources: Datacite
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Rough and Smooth Numbers in Square-Centered Intervals: First-Order Structure and Second-Order Genericity

Authors: Ross, Michael;

Rough and Smooth Numbers in Square-Centered Intervals: First-Order Structure and Second-Order Genericity

Abstract

For n ≥ 1 let J_n = [4n²-n, 4n²+n], the interval of length 2n+1 centered at the perfect square (2n)², and set z = 2n+1 ≈ √x at x = 4n². We study the joint distribution of z-rough and z-smooth integers in J_n, and in the adjacent interval Q_n = [(2n+1)², (2n+2)²], computed for all n ≤ 10^5 with confirming spot samples at n ≈ 10^6. The organizing finding is a separation between scales: the square-centering imprints sharply on the first-order arithmetic of the interval, yet is invisible to its second-order statistics. On the first-order side, z-roughness and primality coincide in J_n; the adjacent interval Q_n contains a z-rough composite if and only if 2n+1 is prime; the conjugate factorizations 4n²-a² = (2n-a)(2n+a) with a ≤ √n form a deterministic smooth family; and the smooth density tracks the Dickman value ρ(2) = 1-ln 2 with a first-order Θ(1/log x) correction of empirical constant ≈ 0.57. On the second-order side, the prime counts π(J_n) are Gaussian with variance about one half of the Poisson value — the Montgomery–Soundararajan prediction for windows of length √x — with vanishing excess kurtosis and no detectable correlation with the arithmetic of n; each of these is generic to a √x window and carries no trace of the center. We place J_n as the z = √x endpoint of the spectrum of rough-numbers-in-short-interval problems whose sub-barrier end was recently settled by Gafni and Tao, and record how the moment hierarchy separates the known almost-all statement (an L² fact) from the open every-n statement (an L⁴ Gaussian-tail condition that the data shows holds at the required size).

Keywords

Legendre's conjecture, primes in short intervals, experimental number theory, Dickman function, variance of primes in short intervals, smooth numbers, intervals near perfect squares, rough numbers, parity problem

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selected citations
These citations are derived from selected sources.
This is an alternative to the "Influence" indicator, which also reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Citations provided by BIP!
popularity
This indicator reflects the "current" impact/attention (the "hype") of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Popularity provided by BIP!
influence
This indicator reflects the overall/total impact of an article in the research community at large, based on the underlying citation network (diachronically).
BIP!Influence provided by BIP!
impulse
This indicator reflects the initial momentum of an article directly after its publication, based on the underlying citation network.
BIP!Impulse provided by BIP!
0
Average
Average
Average