Uniqueness of Quickly Growing Series With Rational Sums
As Sylvester himself observed, Sylvester's sequence seems to be unique in having such quickly growing values, while simultaneously having a series of reciprocals that converges to a rational number.
To make this more precise, it follows from results of Badea (1993) that, if a sequence of integers grows quickly enough that
and if the series
converges to a rational number A, then, for all n after some point, this sequence must be defined by the same recurrence
that can be used to define Sylvester's sequence.
Erdős (1980) conjectured that, in results of this type, the inequality bounding the growth of the sequence could be replaced by a weaker condition,
Badea (1995) surveys progress related to this conjecture; see also Brown (1979).
Read more about this topic: Sylvester's Sequence
Famous quotes containing the words uniqueness of, uniqueness, quickly, growing, series, rational and/or sums:
“Until now when we have started to talk about the uniqueness of America we have almost always ended by comparing ourselves to Europe. Toward her we have felt all the attraction and repulsions of Oedipus.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)
“Until now when we have started to talk about the uniqueness of America we have almost always ended by comparing ourselves to Europe. Toward her we have felt all the attraction and repulsions of Oedipus.”
—Daniel J. Boorstin (b. 1914)
“The time passes so quickly during these full and active middle years that most people arrive at the end of middle age and the beginning of later maturity with surprise and a sense of having finished the journey while they were still preparing to commence it.”
—Robert Havighurst (20th century)
“Adolescents need to be reassured that nothingneither their growing maturity, their moods, their misbehavior, nor your anger at something they have donecan shake your basic commitment to them.”
—Laurence Steinberg (20th century)
“Personality is an unbroken series of successful gestures.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (18961940)
“Every rational creature has all nature for his dowry and estate. It is his, if he will. He may divest himself of it; he may creep into a corner, and abdicate his kingdom, as most men do, but he is entitled to the world by his constitution.”
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (18031882)
“At Timons villalet us pass a day,
Where all cry out,What sums are thrown away!”
—Alexander Pope (16881744)