Tool for calculating the values of the harmonic numbers, ie the values of the nth partial sums of the harmonic series as well as their inverse. 1 + 1/2 + 1/3 + … + 1/n
Harmonic Number - dCode
Tag(s) : Series
dCode is free and its tools are a valuable help in games, maths, geocaching, puzzles and problems to solve every day!
A suggestion ? a feedback ? a bug ? an idea ? Write to dCode!
Harmonic numbers are real numbers present in the harmonic series $ H_n $ (which uses the sum of the inverse of non-zero natural integers).
Apply the harmonic formula $$ H_n = \sum_{k=1}^n \frac{1}{k} = 1 + \frac{1}{2} + \frac{1}{3} + \cdots + \frac{1}{n} $$
Example: $ H_2 = 1+\frac{1}{2} = \frac{3}{2} = 1.5 $
The following recurrence formula can also be applied to get a series:
$$ H_n = H_{n-1} + \frac{1}{n} $$
When $ n $ is very big, an approximation based on the natural logarithm can be useful to speed up the calculations:
$$ \lim_{n \to \infty} H_n = \ln n + \gamma $$
with $ \gamma \approx 0.577215665 $ the Euler–Mascheroni constant.
There is also a formula based on a integrate calculation: $$ H_n = \int_0^1 \frac{1 - x^n}{1 - x}\,dx $$
The first harmonic numbers are:
n | H(n) | ≈H(n) |
---|---|---|
1st harmonic number | 1/1 | 1 |
2nd harmonic number | 3/2 | 1.5 |
3rd harmonic number | 11/6 | 1.83333 |
4th harmonic number | 25/12 | 2.08333 |
5th harmonic number | 137/60 | 2.28333 |
6th harmonic number | 49/20 | 2.45 |
7th harmonic number | 363/140 | 2.59286 |
8th harmonic number | 761/280 | 2.71786 |
9th harmonic number | 7129/2520 | 2.82896 |
10th harmonic number | 2.92897 | |
100th harmonic number | 5.18738 | |
1000th harmonic number | 7.48547 | |
10000th harmonic number | 9.78761 | |
100000th harmonic number | 12.09015 | |
1000000th harmonic number | 14.39272 | |
10000000th harmonic number | 16.69531 | |
100000000th harmonic number | 18.99790 | |
1000000000th harmonic number | 21.30048 |
No, the harmonic series is an example of a divergent series, the sum of the terms of the series has no finite limit and tends towards infinity.
The Harmonic series with $ n \to \infty $ is a special case of the Riemann Zeta function ζ(s), when $ s = 1 $.
The algorithm for calculating harmonic numbers can use a summation loop // Pseudo-code
function harmonicNumber(N) {
harmonic = 0
for (i = 1; i <= N; i++) {
harmonic = harmonic + 1 / i
}
return harmonic
}
dCode retains ownership of the "Harmonic Number" source code. Any algorithm for the "Harmonic Number" algorithm, applet or snippet or script (converter, solver, encryption / decryption, encoding / decoding, ciphering / deciphering, breaker, translator), or any "Harmonic Number" functions (calculate, convert, solve, decrypt / encrypt, decipher / cipher, decode / encode, translate) written in any informatic language (Python, Java, PHP, C#, Javascript, Matlab, etc.) or any database download or API access for "Harmonic Number" or any other element are not public (except explicit open source licence like Creative Commons). Same with the download for offline use on PC, mobile, tablet, iPhone or Android app.
Reminder: dCode is an educational and teaching resource, accessible online for free and for everyone.
The content of the page "Harmonic Number" and its results may be freely copied and reused, including for commercial purposes, provided that dCode.fr is cited as the source.
Exporting the results is free and can be done simply by clicking on the export icons ⤓ (.csv or .txt format) or ⧉ (copy and paste).
To cite dCode.fr on another website, use the link:
In a scientific article or book, the recommended bibliographic citation is: Harmonic Number on dCode.fr [online website], retrieved on 2025-04-16,