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A213900
The minimum number of 11's in the relation n*[n,11,11,...,11,n] = [x,...,x] between simple terminating continued fractions.
23
2, 3, 5, 4, 11, 7, 5, 11, 14, 1, 11, 6, 23, 19, 11, 8, 11, 17, 29, 7, 5, 23, 11, 24, 20, 35, 23, 13, 59, 5, 23, 3, 8, 39, 11, 18, 17, 27, 29, 3, 23, 43, 5, 59, 23, 15, 11, 55, 74, 35, 41, 26, 35, 9, 23, 35, 41, 57, 59, 2, 5, 23, 47, 34, 11, 67, 17, 23, 119, 13
OFFSET
2,1
COMMENTS
In a variant of A213891, multiply n by a number with simple continued fraction [n,11,11,..,11,n] and increase the number of 11's until the continued fraction of the product has the same first and last entry (called x in the NAME). Examples are
2 * [2, 11, 11, 2] = [4, 5, 1, 1, 5, 4],
3 * [3, 11, 11, 11, 3] = [9, 3, 1, 2, 3, 2, 1, 3, 9],
4 * [4, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 4] = [16, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1, 1, 10, 1, 1, 2, 3, 1, 2, 16],
5 * [5, 11, 11, 11, 11, 5] = [25, 2, 4, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 4, 2, 25],
6 * [6, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 11, 6] = [36, 1, 1, 5, 1, 1, 2, 7, 16, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 6, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 16, 7, 2, 1, 1, 5, 1, 1, 36].
The number of 11's needed defines the sequence a(n).
If we consider the fixed points such that a(n)=n, we conjecture to obtain the sequence A000057. This sequence consists of prime numbers. We conjecture that this sequence of prime numbers, in addition to its well-known relation to the collection of Fibonacci sequences (sequences satisfying f(n)=f(n-1)+f(n-2) with arbitrary positive integer values for f(1) and f(2)) it also refers to the sequences satisfying f(n)=11*f(n-1)+f(n-2), A049666, A015457, etc. This would mean that a prime is in the sequence A000057 if and only if it divides some term in each of the sequences satisfying f(n)=11*f(n-1)+f(n-2).
It is surprising that the fixed points of this sequence seem to be the same as for the variant A213648 where 11 is replaced by 1, while for the other variants A262212 - A262220 (where the repeated term is 2, ..., 10) the fixed points are different, see A213891 - A213899. - M. F. Hasler, Sep 15 2015
From M. Jeremie Lafitte (Levitas), Aug 19 2026: (Start)
The conjectures in the preceding comments are true. The fixed points of this sequence are exactly the terms of A000057, and these are precisely the primes p that divide some term of every integer sequence satisfying f(k+2) = 11*f(k+1)+f(k).
By the Formula section and Lehmer's maximal-rank theorem, every fixed point is indeed prime; see A214028. To identify them, put T_a(x) = a+1/x, M_a = {{a,1},{1,0}}, C = {{5,0},{3,1}}. The identity M_1^5*C = C*M_11 = {{55,5},{34,3}} shows that T_11 is conjugate to T_1^5 on P^1(F_p) for every prime p!=5.
For an odd prime p!=5, a complete Fibonacci orbit implies (5/p)=-1, hence gcd(5,p+1)=1; therefore T_1^5 is a cycle of length p+1. Conversely, transitivity of T_1^5 implies transitivity of T_1, so T_1 is itself a cycle of length p+1. For p=2 or p=5, T_11=T_1 over F_p.
Thus T_1 and T_11 have complete projective orbits for exactly the same primes, namely the terms of A000057. The complete-cycle interpretation gives the universal-divisibility characterization above. (End)
FORMULA
For n>=2, let U(0)=0, U(1)=1, and U(k+2) = 11*U(k+1)+U(k). The canonical-endpoint equivalence in A213648, with 11 in place of 1, gives a(n) = min{m>=1: n | U(m+1)} = z_U(n)-1, where z_U(n) = min{k>=1: n | U(k)}. Consequently, n is a fixed point of this sequence if and only if z_U(n) = n+1. - M. Jeremie Lafitte (Levitas), Aug 19 2026
MATHEMATICA
f[m_, n_] := Block[{c, k = 1}, c[x_, y_] := ContinuedFraction[x FromContinuedFraction[Join[{x}, Table[m, {y}], {x}]]]; While[First@ c[n, k] != Last@ c[n, k], k++]; k]; f[11, #] & /@ Range[2, 120] (* Michael De Vlieger, Sep 16 2015 *)
PROG
(PARI) \\ This PARI program will generate sequence A000057
{a(n) = local(t, m=1); if( n<2, 0, while( 1,
t = contfracpnqn( concat([n, vector(m, i, 11), n]));
t = contfrac(n*t[1, 1]/t[2, 1]);
if(t[1]<n^2 || t[#t]<n^2, m++, break));
m)};
for(k=1, 1500, if(k==a(k), print1(a(k), ", ")));
CROSSREFS
KEYWORD
nonn,changed
AUTHOR
Art DuPre, Jun 24 2012
STATUS
approved