The Riemann zeta function and tuning: Difference between revisions

== Gene Smith's original derivation ==

Suppose ''x'' is a variable representing some equal division of the octave. For example, if {{nowrap|''x'' {{=}} 80}}, ''x'' reflects 80edo with a step size of 15 cents and with pure octaves. Suppose that ''x'' can also be continuous, so that it can also represent fractional or "nonoctave" divisions as well. The [[Bohlen–Pierce scale]], 13 equal divisions of 3/1, is approximately 8.202 equal divisions of the "octave" (although the octave itself does not appear in this tuning), and would hence be represented by a value of {{nowrap|''x'' {{=}} 8.202}}.

<math>\rround{x} = \abs{x - \floor{x + \frac{1}{2}}}</math>

For example, ⌊8.202⌉ would be 0.202, since it is the difference between 8.202 and the nearest integer, which is 8. Meanwhile, ⌊7.95⌉ would be 0.05, which is the difference between 7.95 and the nearest integer, which is 8. This represents the absolute relative error of the octave in equal tuning ''x'', or alternatively how much x is detuned from an edo.

<math>\displaystyle \xi_p(x) = \sum_{\substack{2 \leq q \leq p \\ q \text{ prime}}} \left(\frac{\rround{x \log_2 q}}{\log_2 q}\right)^2</math>

This function has local minima, corresponding to associated generalized patent vals. The minima occur for values of ''x'' which are the [[Tenney-Euclidean_Tuning|Tenney-Euclidean tuning]]s of the octaves of the associated vals, while ξ_''p'' for these minima is the square of the [[Tenney–Euclidean_metrics|Tenney–Euclidean relative error]] of the val—equal to the TE error times the TE complexity, and sometimes known as "TE simple badness."

<math>\displaystyle \xi_\infty(x) = \sum_{\substack{q \geq 2 \\ q \text{ prime}}} \frac{\rround{x \log_2 q}^2}{q^s}</math>

so that we see that the absolute value of the zeta function serves to measure the relative error of an equal division.

So long as {{nowrap|''s'' &ge; 1}}, the absolute value of the zeta function can be seen as a relative error measurement. However, the rationale for that view of things departs when {{nowrap|''s'' &lt; 1}}, particularly in the [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CriticalStrip.html critical strip], when {{nowrap|0 &lt; ''s'' &lt; 1}}. As s approaches the value {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} {{sfrac|1|2}}}} of the [http://mathworld.wolfram.com/CriticalLine.html critical line], the information content, so to speak, of the zeta function concerning higher primes increases and it behaves increasingly like a badness measure (or more correctly, since we have inverted it, like a goodness measure.) The quasi-symmetric [https://planetmath.org/encyclopedia/FunctionalEquationOfTheRiemannZetaFunction.html functional equation] of the zeta function tells us that past the critical line the information content starts to decrease again, with {{nowrap|1 − ''s''}} and ''s'' having the same information content. Hence it is the zeta function between {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} {{sfrac|1|2}}}} and {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} 1}}, and especially the zeta function along the critical line {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} {{sfrac|1|2}}}}, which is of the most interest.

As {{nowrap|''s'' &gt; 1}} gets larger, the Dirichlet series for the zeta function is increasingly dominated by the 2 term, getting ever closer to simply {{nowrap|1 + 2^−''z''}}, which approaches 1 as {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} Re(''z'')}} becomes larger. When {{nowrap|''s'' ≫ 1}} and ''x'' is an integer, the real part of zeta is approximately {{nowrap|1 + 2^−''s''}}, and the imaginary part is approximately zero; that is, zeta is approximately real. Starting from {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} +&infin;}} with ''x'' an integer, we can trace a line back towards the critical strip on which zeta is real. Since when {{nowrap|''s'' ≫ 1}} the derivative is approximately −{{sfrac|ln(2)|2^''s''}}, it is negative on this line of real values for zeta, meaning that the real value for zeta increases as ''s'' decreases. The zeta function approaches 1 uniformly as ''s'' increases to infinity, so as ''s'' decreases, the real-valued zeta function along this line of real values continues to increase though all real values from 1 to infinity monotonically. When it crosses the critical line where {{nowrap|''s'' {{=}} {{sfrac|1|2}}}}, it produces a real value of zeta on the critical line. Points on the critical line where {{nowrap|ζ({{frac|1|2}} + ''ig'')}} are real are called "Gram points", after {{w|Jørgen Pedersen Gram}}. We thus have associated pure-octave edos, where ''x'' is an integer, to a value near to the pure octave, at the special sorts of Gram points which corresponds to edos.

Because the value of zeta increased continuously as it made its way from +&infin; to the critical line, we might expect the values of zeta at these special Gram points to be relatively large. This would be especially true if −ζ'(''z'') is getting a boost from other small primes as it travels toward the Gram point. A complex formula due to {{w|Bernhard Riemann}} which he failed to publish because it was so nasty becomes a bit simpler when used at a Gram point. It is named the {{w|Riemann–Siegel formula}} since {{w|Carl Ludwig Siegel}} went looking for it and was able to reconstruct it after rooting industriously around in Riemann's unpublished papers. From this formula, it is apparent that when x corresponds to a good edo, the value of {{nowrap|ζ({{frac|1|2}} + ''ig'')}} at the corresponding Gram point should be especially large.

The absolute value of {{nowrap|ζ({{frac|1|2}} + ''ig'')}} at a Gram point corresponding to an edo is near to a local maximum, but not actually at one. At the local maximum, of course, the partial derivative of {{nowrap|ζ({{frac|1|2}} + ''it'')}} with respect to ''t'' will be zero; however this does not mean its derivative there will be zero. In fact, the {{w|Riemann hypothesis}} is equivalent to the claim that all zeros of {{nowrap|ζ'(''s'' + ''it'')}} occur when {{nowrap|''s'' &gt; {{sfrac|1|2}}}}, which is where all known zeros lie. These do not have values of ''t'' corresponding to good edos. For this and other reasons, it is helpful to have a function which is real for values on the critical line but whose absolute value is the same as that of zeta. This is provided by the {{w|''Z'' function}}.