OFFSET
1,2
COMMENTS
The sequence is fractal-like as it embeds an infinite number of copies of itself.
The sequence was built according to these rules (see, in the Example section, the parenthesization technique):
1) no overlapping pairs of parentheses;
2) always start the content inside a pair of parentheses with the smallest integer X not yet present inside another pair of parentheses;
3) always end the content inside a pair of parentheses with the smallest integer Y not yet present inside another pair of parentheses such Y is not of the same parity as X;
4) after a(1) = 1 and a(2) = 2, always try to extend the sequence with a duplicate of the oldest term of the sequence not yet duplicated; if this leads to a contradiction, open a new pair of parentheses.
LINKS
Carole Dubois, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..5000
EXAMPLE
Parentheses are added around each pair of terms of opposite parity:
(1,2),(4,3),1,(5,6),2,4,(8,7),3,1,5,(9,10),6,2,4,8,(12,11),7,3,1,5,9,(13,14),10,6,2,4,8,12,(16,15),11,7,3,1,5,9,13,(17,18),14,10,6,
Erasing all the parenthesized contents yields
(...),(...),1,(...),2,4,(...),3,1,5,(....),6,2,4,8,(.....),7,3,1,5,9,(.....),10,6,2,4,8,12,(.....),11,7,3,1,5,9,13,(.....),14,10,6,
We see that the remaining terms slowly rebuild the starting sequence.
CROSSREFS
KEYWORD
nonn,base
AUTHOR
Eric Angelini, May 11 2018
STATUS
approved