Quick Disproof of the Riemann Hypothesis
Jonathan W. Tooker
June 5, 2020
Abstract
In this brief note, we propose a set of operations for the affinely extended real
number called infinity. Under the terms of the proposition, we show that the Riemann
zeta function has infinitely many non-trivial zeros on the complex plane and off the
critical line.
§1 Definitions
Definition 1.1 The number infinity, which like the imaginary number is not
a real number, is defined as
1
lim± = ±∞ .
x→0 x
Definition 1.2 The real number line is a 1D space extending infinitely far in
both directions. It is represented in set and interval notations respectively as
R = {x | − ∞ < x < ∞} , and R ≡ (−∞, ∞) .
Definition 1.3 A number x is a real number if and only if it is a cut in the
real number line
(−∞, ∞) = (−∞, x) ∪ [x, ∞) .
Definition 1.4 The affinely extended real numbers are constructed as R =
R ∪ {±∞}. They are represented in set and interval notations respectively as
R = {x | − ∞ ≤ x ≤ ∞} , and R ≡ [−∞, ∞] .
R is called the affinely extended real number line.
Definition 1.5 A number x is an affinely extended real number x ∈ R if and
only if x = ±∞ or it is a cut in the affinely extended real number line
[∞, ∞] = [−∞, x) ∪ [x, ∞] .
2 Quick Disproof of the Riemann Hypothesis
Theorem 1.6 If x ∈ R and x 6= ±∞, then x ∈ R.
Proof. Proof follows from Definition 1.4. l
Definition 1.7 Infinity has the properties of additive and multiplicative ab-
sorption:
(
±x + ∞ = ∞
x∈R , x>0 =⇒ .
±x × ∞ = ±∞
Proposition 1.8 Suppose the additive absorptive property of ±∞ is taken
away when it appears as ±c
∞. Further suppose that ||c
∞|| = ∞ and that the
ordering is such that
n<c∞−b<c ∞−a<∞
−∞ < −c
∞ + a < −c
∞ + b < −n ,
for any positive a, b ∈ R, a < b < n, and any natural number n ∈ N.
∞ is
Theorem 1.9 c
1
±c
∞ = lim± .
x→0 x
Proof. Proof follows from the ||c
∞|| = ∞ condition given in Propositon 1.8. l
Theorem 1.10 If x = ±(c
∞ − b) and 0 < b < n for some n ∈ N, then x ∈ R.
Proof. By the ordering given in Proposition 1.8, we have
[∞, ∞] = [−∞, x) ∪ [x, ∞] .
∞ does not have additive
It follows from Definition 1.5 that x ∈ R. Since c
absorption and the theorem states that b > 0, it follows from the ordering
that
x 6= ±c∞ , and x 6= ±∞ .
It follows from Theorem 1.6 that x ∈ R. l
Theorem 1.11 If a, b are positive numbers less than some natural number
n ∈ N, then
∞ − a) − (c
(c ∞ − b) = b − a .
Proof. Observe that
l
1 1
∞ − a) − (c
(c ∞ − b) = lim −a− +b =b−a .
x→0 x x
Jonathan W. Tooker 3
Theorem 1.12 If a, b ∈ R are positive numbers less than some natural num-
ber n ∈ N, then the quotient (c
∞ − b)/(c
∞ − a) is identically one.
Proof. Observe that
l
! !
1 1
c−b
∞ x
−b x
−b x 1 − bx
= lim 1
= lim 1
· = lim =1 .
∞ − a x→0
c x
−a x→0
x
−a x x→0 1 − ax
Definition 1.13 A number is a complex number z ∈ C if and only if
z = x + iy , and x, y ∈ R .
§2 Disproof of the Riemann Hypothesis
Theorem 2.1 If b, y0 ∈ R, if 0 < b < n for some n ∈ N, if z0 = (c
∞ − b) + iy0 ,
and if ζ(z) is the Riemann ζ function, then ζ(z0 ) = 1.
Proof. Observe that the Dirichlet sum form of ζ [1] takes z0 as
X 1
ζ(z0 ) = ∞−b)+iy0
n=1
n(c
X nb
= ∞
cos(y0 ln n) − i sin(y0 ln n)
n=1
nc
X
l
=1+ 0 cos(y0 ln n) − i sin(y0 ln n) = 1 .
n=2
Theorem 2.2 The Riemann ζ function has non-trivial zeros at certain z ∈ C
outside of the critical strip.
Proof. Riemann’s functional form of ζ [1] is
(2π)z πz
ζ(z) = sin Γ(1 − z)ζ(1 − z) .
π 2
Theorem 2.1 gives ζ(c ∞ − b) when we set y0 = 0 so we will use Riemann’s
equation to prove this theorem by solving for z = −(c ∞ − b) + 1. (This value
for z follows from 1 − z = c∞ − b.) We have
(2π)z
πz
ζ −(c ∞ − b) + 1 = lim sin lim Γ(z)ζ(z)
z→−(c∞−b)+1 π 2 z→(c∞−b)
−z
= lim 2 sin (πz/2) lim (2π) Γ(z)ζ(z) .
∞−b)+1
z→−(c ∞−b)
z→(c
4 Quick Disproof of the Riemann Hypothesis
For the limit involving Γ, we will compute the limit as a product of two limits.
We separate terms as
−z −z
lim (2π) Γ(z)ζ(z) = lim (2π) Γ(z) lim ζ(z) .
∞−b)
z→(c ∞−b)
z→(c ∞−b)
z→(c
From Theorem 2.1, we know the limit involving ζ is equal to one. For the
remaining limit, we will insert the identity and again compute it as the product
of two limits. If z approaches (c ∞ − b) along the real axis, it follows from
Theorem 1.12 that
z − (c
∞ − b)
1= .
z − (c
∞ − b)
Inserting the identity yields
−z −z z − (c
∞ − b)
lim (2π) Γ(z) = lim (2π) Γ(z) .
z→(c∞−b) z→(c∞−b) z − (c
∞ − b)
Let
(2π)−z
A = Γ(z) z − (c
∞ − b) , and B= .
z − (c
∞ − b)
To get the limit of A into workable form we will use the property Γ(z) =
z −1 Γ(z + 1) to derive an expression for Γ[z − (c∞ − b) + 1]. If we can write
Γ(z) in terms of Γ[z − (c∞ − b) + 1], then the limit as z approaches (c∞ − b)
will be very easy to compute. Observe that
−1
Γ z − (c∞ − b) + 1 = Γ z − (c ∞ − b) + 2 z − (c ∞ − b) + 1 .
By recursion we obtain
n
Y −1
Γ z − (c
∞ − b) + 1 = Γ(z) lim z − (c
∞ − b) + k .
∞−b)
n→(c
k=1
Rearrangement yields
n
Y
Γ(z) = Γ z − (c
∞ − b) + 1 lim z − (c
∞ − b) + k .
∞−b)
n→(c
k=1
It follows that
n
Y
A = Γ z − (c
∞ − b) + 1 lim z − (c
∞ − b) + k .
∞−b)
n→(c
k=0
The limit of A is
n
Y
lim ∞ − b) − (c
A = Γ (c ∞ − b) + 1 lim ∞ − b) − (c
(c ∞ − b) + k .
∞−b)
z→(c ∞−b)
n→(c
k=0
Jonathan W. Tooker 5
∞ − b) − (c
Theorem 1.11 gives (c ∞ − b) = 0 so
n
Y
lim A = Γ(1) lim k=0 .
∞−b)
z→(c ∞−b)
n→(c
k=0
Direct evaluation of the limit of B gives 0/0 so we need to use L’Hôpital’s rule
which gives
d
(2π)−z
∗
lim B = lim
dz
z→(c ∞−b) z→(c∞−b) d
z − (c ∞ − b)
dz
d −z ln(2π)
= lim e
z→(c∞−b) dz
−1
= − ln(2π) e−(c ∞−b) ln(2π)
= c ∞
ln(2π) eb ln(2π) = 0
e
Therefore, we find that the limit of AB is 0. It follows that
l
πz
ζ −(c ∞ − b) + 1 = lim 2 sin ×0=0 .
z→−(c∞−b)+1 2
Definition 2.3 The Riemann hypothesis as defined by the Clay Mathematics
Institute [2] is
The non-trivial zeros of the Riemann ζ function have real parts
equal to one half.
Definition 2.4 According to the Clay Mathematics Institute [2], the trivial
zeros of ζ are the even negative integers.
Remark 2.5 The zeros demonstrated in Theorem 2.2 are neither on the crit-
ical line Re(z) = 1/2 nor are they the negative even integers. Theorem 2.2,
therefore, is the negation of the Riemann hypothesis.
References
[1] Bernhard Riemann. On the Number of Primes Less than a Given Quantity.
Monatsberichte der Berliner Akademie, (1859).
[2] Enrico Bombieri. Problems of the Millennium : The Riemann Hypothesis.
2000.
