Higher dimensional visual proofs, Nicomachus' 4D Theorem and the mysterious irreducible factor $(3n^2+3n-1)$ in the sum of fourth powers

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Buijs, Urtzi
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Buijs, Urtzi
author_facet Buijs, Urtzi
contents Sums of powers $S_p(n)=\sum_{k=1}^n k^p$ can be described by Faulhaber's formula in terms of the Bernoulli numbers. The first cases of this formula admit visual proofs of various kinds, which lead to factorized Faulhaber polynomials. In this article we present a technique that yields higher-dimensional visual proofs for these factorized formulas, providing a geometric interpretation of the roots that appear. In particular, we prove Nicomachus's Theorem in four dimensions, and we visually explain the appearance, in dimension five, of the irreducible factor $(3n^2 +3n-1)$ in the polynomial ring over the rational numbers.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_19465
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Higher dimensional visual proofs, Nicomachus' 4D Theorem and the mysterious irreducible factor $(3n^2+3n-1)$ in the sum of fourth powers
Buijs, Urtzi
History and Overview
11B68
Sums of powers $S_p(n)=\sum_{k=1}^n k^p$ can be described by Faulhaber's formula in terms of the Bernoulli numbers. The first cases of this formula admit visual proofs of various kinds, which lead to factorized Faulhaber polynomials. In this article we present a technique that yields higher-dimensional visual proofs for these factorized formulas, providing a geometric interpretation of the roots that appear. In particular, we prove Nicomachus's Theorem in four dimensions, and we visually explain the appearance, in dimension five, of the irreducible factor $(3n^2 +3n-1)$ in the polynomial ring over the rational numbers.
title Higher dimensional visual proofs, Nicomachus' 4D Theorem and the mysterious irreducible factor $(3n^2+3n-1)$ in the sum of fourth powers
topic History and Overview
11B68
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.19465