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Euler's Product Formula

The fundamental decomposition — 1737

ζ(s) = Σ 1/ns = Π 1/(1 − p−s)
The sum over all naturals equals the product over all primes

Convergence — Watch Both Sides Approach the Same Value

2.0
50
Sum Σ 1/ns (naturals)
Product Π 1/(1−p−s) (primes)
Difference

Side by Side — Partial Sums & Products

Prime Product Expansion

Each prime p contributes a factor 1/(1−p−s). When expanded as geometric series and multiplied together, they generate all naturals exactly once.

Current Values

Sum (naturals)
Product (primes)
Difference

The Discovery

Euler, 1737

The left side sums over all natural numbers: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7...

The right side multiplies over only primes: 2, 3, 5, 7, 11, 13...

They produce exactly the same value.

This identity reveals that primes are the atoms of arithmetic — every natural number is uniquely built from prime factors.

Special Values

s = 2 (Basel Problem)
ζ(2) = π²/6 ≈ 1.6449
Euler's breakthrough that stunned Europe

s = 3 (Apéry's Constant)
ζ(3) ≈ 1.2020
Proven irrational in 1978

s = 4
ζ(4) = π⁴/90 ≈ 1.0823
Related to π via Bernoulli numbers