Consecutive Numbers in the Fibbonacci Sequence and Sums of Two Squares

In summary, the conversation discusses the interesting properties of the Fibonacci sequence, specifically the fact that every other number in the sequence can be expressed as the sum of the squares of two previous numbers. This leads to the conjecture that there are no two adjacent entries in the sequence that are not the sum of two squares, and that there is an infinite number of entries where three consecutive numbers are all the sum of two squares. The conversation also mentions the question of why these numbers seem to group together in twos and threes, and why numbers that are not the sum of two squares tend to be apart from each other. Examples are provided to support these conjectures.
  • #1
Imaginer1
6
0
I've noticed lots of interesting properties of the patterns of numbers in the Fibbonacci sequence that can be expressed as the sum of two squares. In fact, it's what got me into number theory in the first place. There seem to be no two adjacent entries that are not the sum of two squares- and it seems that no sum of two squares is surrounded by two entries that are not.

So, formally:

1) There exists no entry in the Fibbonacci sequence F(n) such that neither F(n) or F(n+1) are the sum of two squares

2) There an infinite number of n that F(n), F(n-1) and F(n+1) are all the sum of two squares.

Less formally:

Why do numbers that are the sum of two squares 'like' to group together in twos and threes?

Why do numbers that are not the sum of two squares like to be apart from each other?
 
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  • #2
Could you show examples for these conjectures. The way you wrote them is rather difficult to understand. They seem to be very interesting.
 
  • #3
Hi, Imaginer,
if you see this page (scroll down to equation 58), every other Fibonacci number is the sum of the squares of two previous Fibonacci numbers (for example, 5=12+22, 13=22+32, 34=32+52, ...) (or, if you prefer, the sum of the squares of two consecutive Fibonacci numbers is another Fibonacci number). (The latter statement follows from the more known eq.55 in that webpage, which in turn is not hard to prove by induction on one of the subindices.)

So, it only takes some chance to have one of the other intervening Fibonacci numbers to be also a sum of squares (and there are a lot of them).
 

What is the Fibonacci sequence?

The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers where each number is the sum of the two preceding numbers, starting with 0 and 1. So the sequence goes 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, and so on.

What are consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence?

Consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence are two numbers that appear one after the other in the sequence. For example, 8 and 13 are consecutive numbers in the sequence.

What is the relationship between consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence and sums of two squares?

There is a unique relationship between consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence and sums of two squares. Specifically, the sum of two consecutive numbers in the sequence (Fibonacci numbers) is equal to the sum of two squares (the square of the smaller number plus the square of the larger number).

Can any number be expressed as a sum of two squares?

No, not all numbers can be expressed as a sum of two squares. This is known as Fermat's theorem on sums of two squares. It states that a positive integer can be expressed as a sum of two squares if and only if its prime factorization contains no prime congruent to 3 (mod 4) raised to an odd power.

What is the significance of consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence and sums of two squares?

The connection between consecutive numbers in the Fibonacci sequence and sums of two squares has been studied for centuries and has been used in various areas of mathematics, including number theory and algebraic geometry. It also has applications in cryptography and coding theory.

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