OFFSET
1,4
COMMENTS
Conjecture: (i) a(n) > 0 for all n > 0, and a(n) = 1 only for n = 16^k*q (k = 0,1,2,... and q = 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, 8, 12, 15, 27, 31, 47, 72, 76, 92, 111, 127).
(ii) Let a and b be positive integers with gcd(a,b) odd. Then any positive integer can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x - b*y a power of two (including 2^0 = 1) if and only if (a,b) = (1,1), (2,1), (2,3).
(iii) Let a,b,c be positive integers with a <= b and gcd(a,b,c) odd. Then any positive integer can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x + b*y - c*z a power of two if and only if (a,b,c) is among the triples (1,1,1), (1,1,2), (1,2,1), (1,2,2), (1,3,1), (1,3,2), (1,3,3), (1,3,4), (1,3,5), (1,4,1), (1,4,2), (1,4,3), (1,4,4), (1,5,1), (1,5,2), (1,5,4), (1,5,5,), (1,6,3), (1,7,4), (1,7,7), (1,8,1), (1,9,2), (2,3,1), (2,3,3), (2,3,4), (2,5,1), (2,5,3), (2,5,4), (2,5,5), (2,7,1), (2,7,3), (2,7,7), (2,9,3), (2,11,5), (3,4,3), (7,8,7).
(iv) Let a,b,c be positive integers with b <= c and gcd(a,b,c) odd. Then any positive integer can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x - b*y - c*z a power of two if and only if (a,b,c) is among the triples (2,2,1), (4,2,1), (4,3,1), (4,4,3).
(v) Let a,b,c be positive integers with a <= b, c <= d, and gcd(a,b,c,d) odd. Then any positive integer can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x + b*y - c*z -d*w a power of two if and only if (a,b,c,d) is among the quadruples (1,2,1,1), (1,2,1,2), (1,2,1,3), (1,3,1,2), (1,3,2,3), (1,3,2,4), (1,4,1,2), (1,7,2,6), (1,9,1,4), (2,2,2,3), (2,3,1,2), (2,3,1,3), (2,3,2,3), (2,3,6,1), (2,4,1,2), (2,5,1,2), (2,5,2,3), (2,5,3,4), (3,4,1,2), (3,4,1,3), (3,4,1,5), (3,4,2,5), (3,4,3,4), (3,8,1,10), (3,8,2,3), (4,5,1,5).
(vi) Let a,b,c be positive integers with a <= b <= c and gcd(a,b,c,d) odd. Then any positive integer can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x + b*y + c*z -d*w a power of two if and only if (a,b,c,d) is among the quadruples (1,1,2,2), (1,1,2,3), (1,1,2,4), (1,2,2,3), (1,2,3,4), (1,2,4,3), (1,2,6,7), (1,3,4,4), (1,4,6,5), (2,3,5,4).
(vii) For any positive integers a,b,c,d, not all positive integers can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x - b*y - c*z -d*w a power of two.
(viii) Let a and b be positive integers, and c and d be nonnegative integers. Then, not all positive integers can be written as x^2 + y^2 + z^2 + w^2 with x,y,z,w nonnegative integers and a*x + b*y + c*z + d*w a power of two.
We have verified a(n) > 0 for all n = 1..2*10^7. The conjecture that a(n) > 0 for all n > 0 appeared in arXiv:1701.05868.
LINKS
Zhi-Wei Sun, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..10000
Zhi-Wei Sun, Refining Lagrange's four-square theorem, J. Number Theory 175(2017), 167-190. Also available from arXiv:1604.06723 [math.NT].
Zhi-Wei Sun, Restricted sums of four squares, arXiv:1701.05868 [math.NT], 2017.
EXAMPLE
a(12) = 1 since 12 = 1^2 + 1^2 + 1^2 + 3^2 with 1 + 2*1 - 2*1 = 4^0.
a(15) = 1 since 15 = 3^2 + 1^2 + 2^2 + 1^2 with 3 + 2*1 - 2*2 = 4^0.
a(27) = 1 since 27 = 4^2 + 1^2 + 1^2 + 3^2 with 4 + 2*1 - 2*1 = 4.
a(31) = 1 since 31 = 3^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + 3^2 with 3 + 2*2 - 2*3 = 4^0.
a(47) = 1 since 47 = 3^2 + 2^2 + 3^2 + 5^2 with 3 + 2*2 - 2*3 = 4^0.
a(72) = 1 since 72 = 8^2 + 0^2 + 2^2 + 2^2 with 8 + 2*0 - 2*2 = 4.
a(76) = 1 since 76 = 1^2 + 5^2 + 5^2 + 5^2 with 1 + 2*5 - 2*5 = 4^0.
a(92) = 1 since 92 = 4^2 + 6^2 + 6^2 + 2^2 with 4 + 2*6 - 2*6 = 4.
a(111) = 1 since 111 = 9^2 + 1^2 + 5^2 + 2^2 with 9 + 2*1 - 2*5 = 4^0.
a(127) = 1 since 127 = 7^2 + 2^2 + 5^2 + 7^2 with 7 + 2*2 - 2*5 = 4^0.
MATHEMATICA
SQ[n_]:=SQ[n]=IntegerQ[Sqrt[n]];
FP[n_]:=FP[n]=n>0&&IntegerQ[Log[4, n]];
Do[r=0; Do[If[SQ[n-x^2-y^2-z^2]&&FP[x+2y-2z], r=r+1], {x, 0, Sqrt[n]}, {y, 0, Sqrt[n-x^2]}, {z, 0, Sqrt[n-x^2-y^2]}]; Print[n, " ", r]; Continue, {n, 1, 80}]
CROSSREFS
KEYWORD
nonn
AUTHOR
Zhi-Wei Sun, Dec 15 2016
STATUS
approved