On (not) learning the Möbius function

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Author: Pozdnyakov, Alexey
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Pozdnyakov, Alexey
author_facet Pozdnyakov, Alexey
contents We prove lower bounds on learning the Möbius or Liouville function with a variety of standard learning techniques, including kernel methods, noisy gradient methods, and correlational statistical query algorithms. These results follow from quantitative bounds on the correlation of Möbius with digital characters of various finite abelian groups, where the group is dictated by the type of input data the algorithm is given. Using residues mod $p$ for many different primes corresponds to a cyclic group, and using the base $p$ expansion for a fixed prime corresponds to an elementary abelian $p$-group. We also note that lower bounds of this form are closely related to certain types of digital prime number theorems.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_23427
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle On (not) learning the Möbius function
Pozdnyakov, Alexey
Number Theory
Machine Learning
We prove lower bounds on learning the Möbius or Liouville function with a variety of standard learning techniques, including kernel methods, noisy gradient methods, and correlational statistical query algorithms. These results follow from quantitative bounds on the correlation of Möbius with digital characters of various finite abelian groups, where the group is dictated by the type of input data the algorithm is given. Using residues mod $p$ for many different primes corresponds to a cyclic group, and using the base $p$ expansion for a fixed prime corresponds to an elementary abelian $p$-group. We also note that lower bounds of this form are closely related to certain types of digital prime number theorems.
title On (not) learning the Möbius function
topic Number Theory
Machine Learning
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.23427