A265409 - OEIS

A265409

a(n) = index to the nearest inner neighbor in Ulam-style square-spirals using zero-based indexing.

0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 4, 5, 6, 6, 6, 7, 8, 9, 9, 9, 10, 11, 12, 12, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 16, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 20, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 25, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 30, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 36, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 42, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 49, 49, 49, 50

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OFFSET

1,11

COMMENTS

Each n occurs A265411(n+1) times.

Useful when defining recurrences like A078510 and A265408.

LINKS

Antti Karttunen, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..10000

FORMULA

If n <= 7, a(n) = 0 for n >= 8: if either A240025(n) or A240025(n-1) is not zero [when n or n-1 is in A002620], then a(n) = a(n-1), otherwise, a(n) = 1 + a(n-1).

If n <= 7, a(n) = 0, for n >= 8, a(n) = a(n-1) + (1-A240025(n))*(1-A240025(n-1)). [The same formula in a more compact form.]

a(n) = A265410(n+1) - 1.

Other identities. For all n >= 0:

a(n) = n - A265359(n).

EXAMPLE

We arrange natural numbers as a counterclockwise spiral into the square grid in the following manner (here A stands for 10, B for 11). The first square corresponds with n (where the initial term 0 is at the center), and the second square with the value of a(n). This sequence doesn't specify a(0), thus it is shown as an asterisk (*):

44322

432B 40002B

501A 50*01A

6789 600119

667899

For each n > 0, we look for the nearest horizontally or vertically adjacent neighbor of n towards the center that is not n-1, which will then be value of a(n) [e.g., it is 0 for 3, 5 and 7, while it is 1 for 8, 9 and A (10) and 2 for B (11)] unless n is in the corner (one of the terms of A002620), in which case the value is the nearest diagonally adjacent neighbor towards the center, e.g. 0 for 2, 4 and 6, while it is 1 for 9).