OFFSET
0,2
COMMENTS
An infinite coprime sequence defined by recursion. - Michael Somos, Mar 14 2004
Next terms have 102 and 305 digits. - Harvey P. Dale, Jun 06 2011
From Peter Bala, Nov 15 2012: (Start)
The present sequence is the case x = 3 of the following general remarks. The recurrence equation a(n+1) = a(n)^3 + 3*a(n)^2 - 3 with the initial condition a(1) = x - 1 > 1 has the explicit solution a(n+1) = alpha^(3^n) + (1/alpha)^(3^n) - 1 for n >= 0, where alpha := {x + sqrt(x^2 - 4)}/2.
Two other recurrences satisfied by the sequence are a(n+1) = (a(1) + 3)*(Product_{k = 1..n} a(k)^2) - 3 and a(n+1) = 1 + (a(1) - 1)*Product_{k = 1..n} (a(k) + 2)^2, both with a(1) = x - 1.
The associated sequence b(n) := a(n) + 1 satisfies the recurrence equation b(n+1) = b(n)^3 - 3*b(n) with the initial condition b(1) = x. See A001999 for the case x = 3. The sequence c(n) := a(n) + 2 satisfies the recurrence equation c(n+1) = c(n)^3 - 3*c(n)^2 + 3 with the initial condition c(1) = x + 1.
The sequences a(n) and b(n) have been considered by Fine and Escott in connection with a product expansion for quadratic irrationals. We have the following identity, valid for x > 2: sqrt((x + 2)/(x - 2)) = (1 + 2/(x-1))*sqrt((y + 2)/(y - 2)), where y = x^3 - 3*x or, equivalently, y - 1 = (x - 1)^3 + 3*(x - 1)^2 - 3. Iterating the identity produces the product expansion sqrt((x+2)/(x-2)) = Product_{n >= 1} (1 + 2/a(n)), with a(1) = x - 1 and a(n+1) = a(n)^3 + 3*a(n)^2 - 3.
Conjecture: The sequence {a(n) - 2: n >= 1} is a strong divisibility sequence, that is, gcd(a(n) - 2, a(m) - 2) = a(gcd(n, m)) - 2 for n, m >= 1. - Peter Bala, Dec 08 2022
REFERENCES
L. E. Dickson, History of the Theory of Numbers. Carnegie Institute Public. 256, Washington, DC, Vol. 1, 1919; Vol. 2, 1920; Vol. 3, 1923, see vol. 1, p. 397.
E. Lucas, Nouveaux théorèmes d'arithmétique supérieure, Comptes Rend., 83 (1876), 1286-1288.
N. J. A. Sloane, A Handbook of Integer Sequences, Academic Press, 1973 (includes this sequence).
N. J. A. Sloane and Simon Plouffe, The Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, Academic Press, 1995 (includes this sequence).
LINKS
Reinhard Zumkeller, Table of n, a(n) for n = 0..8
E. B. Escott, Rapid method for extracting a square root, Amer. Math. Monthly, 44 (1937), 644-646.
N. J. Fine, Infinite products for k-th roots, Amer. Math. Monthly Vol. 84, No. 8, Oct. 1977.
E. Lucas, Nouveaux théorèmes d'arithmétique supérieure (annotated scanned copy)
M. Mendes France and A. J. van der Poorten, From geometry to Euler identities, Theoret. Comput. Sci., 65 (1989), 213-220.
J. Shallit, Predictable regular continued cotangent expansions, J. Res. Nat. Bur. Standards Sect. B 80B (1976), no. 2, 285-290.
FORMULA
a(n) = Fibonacci(3^n)/Fibonacci(3^(n-1)). - Henry Bottomley, Jul 10 2001
a(n+1) = 5*(f(n))^2 - 3, where f(n) = Fibonacci(3^n) = product of first n entries. - Lekraj Beedassy, Jun 16 2003
From Artur Jasinski, Oct 05 2008: (Start)
a(n+2) = (G^(3^(n + 1)) - (1 - G)^(3^(n + 1)))/((G^(3^n)) - (1 - G)^(3^n)) where G = (1 + sqrt(5))/2;
From Peter Bala, Nov 15 2012: (Start)
a(n+1) = (1/2*(3 + sqrt(5)))^(3^n) + (1/2*(3 - sqrt(5)))^(3^n) - 1.
The sequence b(n):= a(n) + 2 is a solution to the recurrence b(n+1) = b(n)^3 - 3*b(n)^2 + 3 with b(1) = 4.
Other recurrence equations:
a(n+1) = -3 + 5*(Product_{k = 1..n} a(k)^2) with a(1) = 2.
a(n+1) = 1 + Product_{k = 1..n} (a(k) + 2)^2 with a(1) = 2.
Thus Y := Product_{k = 1..n} a(k) and X := Product_{k = 1..n} (a(k) + 2) give a solution to the Diophantine equation X^2 - 5*Y^2 = -4.
sqrt(5) = Product_{n >= 1} (1 + 2/a(n)). The rate of convergence is cubic. Fine remarks that twelve factors of the product would give well over 300,000 correct decimal digits for sqrt(5).
5 - {Product_{n = 1..N} (1 + 2/a(n))}^2 = 20/(a(N+1) + 3). (End)
a(n) = 2*T(3^(n-1),3/2) - 1 for n >= 1, where T(n,x) denotes the n-th Chebyshev polynomial of the first kind. - Peter Bala, Dec 06 2022
MATHEMATICA
Join[{1}, NestList[#^3+3#^2-3&, 2, 5]] (* Harvey P. Dale, Apr 01 2011 *)
PROG
(PARI) a(n)=if(n<2, max(0, n+1), a(n-1)^3+3*a(n-1)^2-3)
(Maxima) a[0]:1$ a[1]:2$ a[n]:=a[n-1]^3 + 3*a[n-1]^2-3$ A002814(n):=a[n]$
makelist(A002814(n), n, 0, 6); /* Martin Ettl, Nov 12 2012 */
(Haskell)
a002814 n = a002814_list !! n
a002814_list = 1 : zipWith div (tail xs) xs
where xs = map a000045 a000244_list
-- Reinhard Zumkeller, Nov 24 2012
CROSSREFS
KEYWORD
nonn,easy,nice
AUTHOR
EXTENSIONS
Definition improved by Reinhard Zumkeller, Feb 29 2012
STATUS
approved