A224868 a(1) = greatest k such that H(k) - H(4) < 1/3 + 1/4; a(2) = greatest k such that H(k) - H(a(1)) < H(a(1)) - H(4); and for n > 2, a(n) = greatest k such that H(k) - H(a(n-1)) > H(a(n-1)) - H(a(n-2)), where H = harmonic number.

7, 11, 17, 26, 39, 58, 86, 127, 187, 275, 404, 593, 870, 1276, 1871, 2743, 4021, 5894, 8639, 12662, 18558, 27199, 39863, 58423, 85624, 125489, 183914, 269540, 395031, 578947, 848489, 1243522, 1822471, 2670962, 3914486, 5736959, 8407923, 12322411, 18059372

Offset

1,1

Comments

Suppose that x and y are positive integers and that x <=y. Let c(1) = y and c(2) = greatest k such that H(k) - H(y) < H(y) - H(x); for n > 2, let c(n) = greatest such that H(k) - H(c(n-1)) < H(c(n-1)) - H(c(n-2)). Then 1/x + ... + 1/c(1) > 1/(c(1)+1) + ... + 1/(c(2)) > 1/(c(2)+1) + ... + 1/(c(3)) > ... The decreasing sequences H(c(n)) - H(c(n-1)) and c(n)/c(n-1) converge. For what choices of (x,y) is the sequence c(n) linearly recurrent?

For A224868, (x,y) = (3,4); it appears that the sequence a(n) is linearly recurrent with signature (2,-1,1,-1). Possibly the constant at A202537 is the limit of the sequences H(c(n))-H(c(n-1)). Possibly the constant at A092526 is the limit of c(n)/c(n-1).

Links

Clark Kimberling, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..1000

Formula

a(n) = 2*a(n-1) - a(n-2) + a(n-3) - a(n-4) (conjectured).

G.f.: (7 - 3 x + 2 x^2 - 4 x^3)/(1 - 2 x + x^2 - x^3 + x^4) (conjectured).

Example

The first three values (a(1),a(2),a(3)) = (7,11,17) match the beginning of the following inequality chain (and partition of {1/m: m>=3}):
1/3+1/4 > 1/5+1/6+1/7 > 1/8+1/9+1/10+1/11 > 1/12+ ... +1/17 > ...

Mathematica

z = 100; h[n_] := h[n] = HarmonicNumber[N[n, 500]]; x = 3; y = 4; a[1] = -1 + Ceiling[w /. FindRoot[h[w] == 2 h[y] - h[x - 1], {w, 1}, WorkingPrecision -> 400]]; a[2] = -1 + Ceiling[w /. FindRoot[h[w] == 2 h[a[1]] - h[y], {w, a[1]}, WorkingPrecision -> 400]]; Do[s = 0; a[t] = -1 + Ceiling[w /. FindRoot[h[w] == 2 h[a[t - 1]] - h[a[t - 2]], {w, a[t - 1]}, WorkingPrecision -> 400]], {t, 3, z}]; m = Map[a, Range[z]] (* A224868 *)
N[Table[h[a[t]] - h[a[t - 1]], {t, 2, z, 25}], 5]  (* A202537? *)
N[Table[a[n]/a[n - 1], {n, 2, z, 25}], 5]  (* A092526? *)
(* Peter J. C. Moses, Jul 23 2013 *)

Crossrefs

Cf. A224820.

Sequence in context: A056687 A088981 A257666 * A021014 A021013 A156105

Adjacent sequences: A224865 A224866 A224867 * A224869 A224870 A224871

Keyword

nonn,frac,easy

Author

Clark Kimberling, Jul 23 2013

Status

approved