A167493 a(1) = 2; thereafter a(n) = a(n-1) + gcd(n, a(n-1)) if n is odd, and a(n) = a(n-1) + gcd(n-2, a(n-1)) if n is even.

2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 12, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 52, 53, 54, 55, 60, 63, 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91, 92, 93, 124, 125, 126

Offset

1,1

Comments

Conjectures. 1) For n >= 2, every difference a(n) - a(n-1) is 1 or prime; 2) Every record of differences a(n) - a(n-1) greater than 3 belongs to the sequence of the greater of twin primes (A006512).

Conjecture #1 above fails at n = 620757, with a(n) = 1241487 and a(n-1) = 1241460, difference = 27. Additionally, the terms of related A167495(m) quickly tend to index n/2. So for example, A167495(14) = 19141 is seen at n = 38284. - Bill McEachen, Jan 20 2023

It seems that, for n > 4, (3*n-3)/2 <= a(n) <= 2n - 3. Can anyone find a proof or disproof? - Charles R Greathouse IV, Jan 22 2023

Links

Bill McEachen, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..100000

E. S. Rowland, A natural prime-generating recurrence, Journal of Integer Sequences, Vol.11 (2008), Article 08.2.8.

Vladimir Shevelev, A new generator of primes based on the Rowland idea, arXiv:0910.4676 [math.NT], 2009.

Vladimir Shevelev, Three theorems on twin primes, arXiv:0911.5478 [math.NT], 2009-2010.

Formula

For n > 3, n < a(n) < n*(n-1)/2. - Charles R Greathouse IV, Jan 22 2023

Mathematica

nxt[{n_, a_}]:={n+1, If[EvenQ[n], a+GCD[n+1, a], a+GCD[n-1, a]]}; Transpose[ NestList[nxt, {1, 2}, 70]][[2]] (* Harvey P. Dale, Dec 05 2015 *)

Prog

(PARI) lista(nn)=my(va = vector(nn)); va[1] = 2; for (n=2, nn, va[n] = if (n%2, va[n-1] + gcd(n, va[n-1]), va[n-1] + gcd(n-2, va[n-1])); ); va; \\ Michel Marcus, Dec 13 2018
(Python)
from math import gcd
from itertools import count, islice
def agen(): # generator of terms
    an = 2
    for n in count(2):
        yield an
        an = an + gcd(n, an) if n&1 else an + gcd(n-2, an)
print(list(islice(agen(), 66))) # Michael S. Branicky, Jan 22 2023

Crossrefs

Cf. A167197, A167195, A167170, A167168, A106108, A132199, A167054, A167053, A166944, A166945, A116533, A163961, A163963, A084662, A084663, A134162, A135506, A135508, A118679, A120293.

Cf also A006512, A167494.

Sequence in context: A345921 A088384 A026446 * A372119 A328107 A368829

Adjacent sequences: A167490 A167491 A167492 * A167494 A167495 A167496

Keyword

nonn

Author

Vladimir Shevelev, Nov 05 2009

Extensions

More terms from Harvey P. Dale, Dec 05 2015

Status

approved