A348855 a(1) = 1. If a(n) is prime, a(n+1) = 2*a(n) + 1. If a(n) is not prime, a(n+1) = least prime not already in the sequence.

1, 2, 5, 11, 23, 47, 95, 3, 7, 15, 13, 27, 17, 35, 19, 39, 29, 59, 119, 31, 63, 37, 75, 41, 83, 167, 335, 43, 87, 53, 107, 215, 61, 123, 67, 135, 71, 143, 73, 147, 79, 159, 89, 179, 359, 719, 1439, 2879, 5759, 97, 195, 101, 203, 103, 207, 109, 219, 113, 227, 455

Offset

1,2

Comments

The sequence exhibits consecutive terms of "nearly doubled primes", namely Cunningham Chains (of the first kind), the first of which is 2,5,11,23,47. Each prime in such a chain, except for the last is a term in A005384, and each prime except the first is a term in A005385. Every chain is terminated by composite number m = 2*q + 1, where q is the last prime in the chain. At this point the sequence resets to the smallest prime which has not yet been seen, from which the next chain is propagated, and so on. Since by definition every prime appears, so does every possible Cunningham chain. A similar (companion) sequence can be defined using a(n+1) = 2*a(n) - 1 for a(n) a prime term.

Links

Table of n, a(n) for n=1..60.

Chris K. Caldwell, Cunningham Chain (PrimePages, Prime Glossary).

Wikipedia, Cunningham chain.

Example

a(1) = 1 is not prime, so a(2) = 2, the smallest prime not seen so far. Then a(3) = 2*2 + 1 = 5, a(4) = 2*5 + 1 = 11, and so on, generating the chain 2,5,11,23,47.
47 is not a term in A005384 since 2*47 + 1 = 95 is not prime, after which the sequence resets to 3, the least unused prime so far, from which the next chain 3,7,15 arises, and so on.
As an irregular table (each row after the first beginning with a prime and ending with a nonprime), the sequence begins:
1;
2, 5, 11, 23, 47, 95;
3, 7, 15;
13, 27;
17, 35;
19, 39;
29, 59, 119;
31, 63;
37, 75;
41, 83, 167, 335;
43, 87; ...

Mathematica

a[1]=1; a[n_]:=a[n]=If[PrimeQ@a[n-1], 2a[n-1]+1, k=2; While[MemberQ[Array[a, n-1], k], k=NextPrime@k]; k]; Array[a, 60] (* Giorgos Kalogeropoulos, Nov 02 2021 *)

Prog

(Python)
from sympy import isprime, nextprime
def aupton(terms):
    alst, aset = [1], {1}
    while len(alst) < terms:
        if isprime(alst[-1]):
            an = 2*alst[-1] + 1
        else:
            p = 2
            while p in aset: p = nextprime(p)
            an = p
        alst.append(an); aset.add(an)
    return alst
print(aupton(60)) # Michael S. Branicky, Nov 02 2021

Crossrefs

Cf. A000040, A005384, A338945, A075712.

Sequence in context: A226462 A000100 A293339 * A175867 A083005 A133489

Adjacent sequences: A348852 A348853 A348854 * A348856 A348857 A348858

Keyword

nonn,tabf

Author

David James Sycamore, Nov 01 2021

Status

approved