Have you seen this new recursive series identity?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around a newly proposed recursive series identity involving sequences defined by a recurrence relation. Participants explore the implications of the identity, its generalization, and the effects of adding constants to the sequences. The conversation includes technical reasoning and attempts to understand the structure and invariance of the identity under certain conditions.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant presents a recursive identity involving sequences defined by S_{n} = b*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2} and questions if it has been seen before.
  • Another participant suggests that the identity might be a tautology due to the fixed values of S_{0} and S_{1}, leading to a discussion on the nature of invariants in the sequence.
  • Some participants propose generalizations of the identity, allowing S_{0} and S_{1} to be any integers, but note specific conditions under which these generalizations hold.
  • There is a discussion about the effect of adding a constant to the sequence and how it relates to the original identity, with some participants questioning the implications of this addition.
  • Several participants express confusion or seek clarification on the transformations and implications of the identities discussed.
  • One participant mentions deriving a proof for a specific case and expresses intent to work on a proof for a more general case.
  • Humorous remarks about unrelated identities are made, indicating a light-hearted tone amidst the technical discussion.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on the validity or implications of the proposed identities. There are multiple competing views regarding the nature of the identities, their generalizations, and the effects of constants added to the sequences.

Contextual Notes

Some participants note that the identities may only hold under specific conditions, such as the values of S_{0}, S_{1}, and the parameter b. There is also mention of potential tautological aspects of the identities, which remain unresolved.

ramsey2879
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I derived the following identity after considering my thread "Recursive series equality" but the result is so clean and neat that I post it as a new topic.

Let [tex]S_{0} = 0 \quad S_{1} = 1 \quad S_{n} = b*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex]

Then [tex]S_{n}*(S_{n+b} -S_{b-2}) = (S_{n+1}+1)*(S_{n+b-1} -S_{b-1})[/tex]

Has anyone seen this before?
 
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Ramsey, not to rain on your party, but it *might* turn out to be a little of a tautology. Since 0=S0 and 1=S1, it can be rewritten as

[tex](S_{n} + S_0)*(S_{n+b} -S_{b-2}) = (S_{n+1}+S_1)*(S_{n+b-1} -S_{b-1})[/tex]

which just means that the LHS formula has the same value when the indexes displace. Now, I don't know if this is common or not, the fact of having this kind of (quadratic) invariants along the sequence.

Edit: Doh, this note is probably rubbish, since two terms are fixed while the other two vary with n. It was a hasty comment.
 
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ramsey2879 said:
I derived the following identity after considering my thread "Recursive series equality" but the result is so clean and neat that I post it as a new topic.

Let [tex]S_{0} = 0 \quad S_{1} = 1 \quad S_{n} = b*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex]

Then [tex]S_{n}*(S_{n+b} -S_{b-2}) = (S_{n+1}+1)*(S_{n+b-1} -S_{b-1})[/tex]

Has anyone seen this before?
Now I can generalize this identity such that [tex]S_{0}[/tex] and [tex]S_{1}[/tex] can each be any integer!

[tex](S_{n} - S_{0})*(S_{n+b} - S_{b-2}) = (S_{n+1} - S_{0} + 1)*(S_{n+b-1}-S_{b-1})[/tex]

Edit. sorry for misinformation, but this works only for b=3 if [tex]S_{0} <> 0[/tex]
 
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Allow me some more deranging. Note that your last equation comes out by replacing each term of the sequence, say S_i, by a constant displacement, S_i + c. (In your case this constant is minus S0, thus bringing the generic sequence back to a "canonical" sequence where S0=0.). The places in the equation where two terms are subtracting cancel the constant out, so it only shows up where terms are by themselves.

I can but wonder what happens to recurrence sequences when a constant is added to each term. Your last edit suggests that for b=3 (and for -1 as the coefficient of S_n-2) the original equation in Post#1 is invariant to addition of a constant.

Deranging end. : )
 
Dodo said:
Allow me some more deranging. Note that your last equation comes out by replacing each term of the sequence, say S_i, by a constant displacement, S_i + c. (In your case this constant is minus S0, thus bringing the generic sequence back to a "canonical" sequence where S0=0.). The places in the equation where two terms are subtracting cancel the constant out, so it only shows up where terms are by themselves.

I can but wonder what happens to recurrence sequences when a constant is added to each term. Your last edit suggests that for b=3 (and for -1 as the coefficient of S_n-2) the original equation in Post#1 is invariant to addition of a constant.

Deranging end. : )

I don't understand what you are saying
 
Define a new sequence Rn by the rule: Rn = Sn + c, where c is a constant.

Then R0 = S0 + c, R1 = S1 + c, and the new recurrence rule for R is given by
Rn = Sn + c = b . Sn-1 - Sn-2 + c = b(Rn-1 - c) - (Rn-2 - c) + c
Rn = b . Rn-1 - Rn-2 - c(b - 2)​

which, when b=2, becomes the same rule that defines Sn (why did you say b=3?).

So you can displace by any constant a sequence defined by the rule 2 . Xn-1 - Xn-2, and it will be transformed in another sequence with the same rule.

If c = -S0, R0 becomes 0, and you can apply your first identity (on post#1) to R:

Rn (Rn+b - Rb-2) = (Rn+1 + 1)(Rn+b-1 - Rb-1)​

and substituting Rn = Sn + c = Sn - S0, you get the last identity (on post #3).

But you will obtain a similar effect for any constant c, not only for c = -S0 (as long as b=2). (Edit: And as long as R1 is not arbitrary, but displaced by the same constant as the others.)
 
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Dodo said:
Define a new sequence Rn by the rule: Rn = Sn + c, where c is a constant.

Then R0 = S0 + c, R1 = S1 + c, and the new recurrence rule for R is given by
Rn = Sn + c = b . Sn-1 - Sn-2 + c = b(Rn-1 - c) - (Rn-2 - c) + c
Rn = b . Rn-1 - Rn-2 - c(b - 2)​

which, when b=2, becomes the same rule that defines Sn (why did you say b=3?).

So you can displace by any constant a sequence defined by the rule 2 . Xn-1 - Xn-2, and it will be transformed in another sequence with the same rule.

If c = -S0, R0 becomes 0, and you can apply your first identity (on post#1) to R:

Rn (Rn+b - Rb-2) = (Rn+1 + 1)(Rn+b-1 - Rb-1)​

and substituting Rn = Sn + c = Sn - S0, you get the last identity (on post #3).

But you will obtain a similar effect for any constant c, not only for c = -S0 (as long as b=2). (Edit: And as long as R1 is not arbitrary, but displaced by the same constant as the others.)
Fact is that my identity in the third post doesn't work for b = 2 so you need to consider this further.
 
ramsey2879 said:
Now I can generalize this identity such that [tex]S_{0}[/tex] and [tex]S_{1}[/tex] can each be any integer!

[tex](S_{n} - S_{0})*(S_{n+a} - S_{a-2}) = (S_{n+1} - S_{0} + 1)*(S_{n+a-1}-S_{a-1})[/tex]

Edit. sorry for misinformation, but this works only for b=3 if [tex]S_{0} <> 0[/tex]

My new identity in fact only works when [tex]S_{1} = (b-1)*S_{0} +1[/tex] and it works for all b. Dodo noted that you can add or subtract a constant to the series when b = 2 but if [tex]S_1 <> S_0 + 1[/tex] it doesn't work for b = 2 which I noted in the last post.
 
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It is a neat equation, anyway. How come the b coefficient does not appear multiplying anything, but as an index displacement? Funny.

It seems to stem from the conjectures

[tex] \begin{align*}<br /> S_{n-1} \ S_{b-1} \ +\ S_{n+b-1} &= S_n \ S_b \\<br /> S_{n-1} \ S_{n+b-1} \ +\ S_{b-1} &= S_n \ S_{n+b-2}<br /> \end{align*}[/tex]
 
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  • #10
ramsey2879 said:
I derived the following identity after considering my thread "Recursive series equality" but the result is so clean and neat that I post it as a new topic.

Let [tex]S_{0} = 0 \quad S_{1} = 1 \quad S_{n} = b*S_{n-1} - S_{n-2}[/tex]

Then [tex]S_{n}*(S_{n+b} -S_{b-2}) = (S_{n+1}+1)*(S_{n+b-1} -S_{b-1})[/tex]

Has anyone seen this before?
Edit
should have been
Then [tex]S_{n}*(S_{n+a} -S_{a-2}) = (S_{n+1}+1)*(S_{n+a-1} -S_{a-1})[/tex]
 
  • #11
Dodo said:
It is a neat equation, anyway. How come the b coefficient does not appear multiplying anything, but as an index displacement? Funny.

It seems to stem from the conjectures

[tex] \begin{align*}<br /> S_{n-1} \ S_{b-1} \ +\ S_{n+b-1} &= S_n \ S_b \\<br /> S_{n-1} \ S_{n+b-1} \ +\ S_{b-1} &= S_n \ S_{n+b-2}<br /> \end{align*}[/tex]

Actually I derived a proof for the case of S(0) = 0 based upon your proof in the previous thread. Now that I have my new conjecture for S(0) not equal to 0, I will work on a proof for the general case of S(1) = bS(0) +1. Your conjectures seem to be off base but I excuse that in view of the confusion I created with the dual use of the b variable.
If you start with series [tex]S[/tex] with for d =0 as in my previous thread and consider what happens when you subtract S(n) from each term of the series you get a new series with [tex]d = (b-2)*S(n)[/tex] but the index n becomes the zero index in the equations of my last post. Play with the equation that you proved in the last thread and you get something like S(a) - bS(a-1) which is the same as S(a-2).
 
  • #12
I have also found a remarkable identity:

[tex]a+6 = 8[/tex], but it only works when a=2 !

:D:D:D
 
  • #13
Gib Z said:
I have also found a remarkable identity:

[tex]a+6 = 8[/tex], but it only works when a=2 !

:D:D:D

But I can prove your identity, can you prove mine?
 
  • #14
Gib Z said:
I have also found a remarkable identity:

[tex]a+6 = 8[/tex], but it only works when a=2 !

:D:D:D

OK this identity works for all S(0), S(1) and b:

[tex](S_{n} - S_{0})*(S_{n+a} - S_{a-2}) = (S_{n+1} + S_{1} -bS_{0})*(S_{n+a-1} - S_{a-1})[/tex]
 
  • #15
ramsey2879 said:
OK this identity works for all S(0), S(1) and b:

[tex](S_{n} - S_{0})*(S_{n+a} - S_{a-2}) = (S_{n+1} + S_{1} -bS_{0})*(S_{n+a-1} - S_{a-1})[/tex]

Changing the index (other than n and a) by adding 1 and noting that [tex]S_{2} - bS_{1} = -S_{0}[/tex] we have the following rewrite of the identity

[tex](S_{n} -S_{1}) \cdot (S_{n+a} - S{a-1}) = (S_{n+1} - S_{0}) \cdot (S_{n+a-1} - S_{a})[/tex]

Now since the the bijections of recursive series [tex]R_{n} = bR_{n-1} + R_{n-2}[/tex] (one bijection S1 consists of every even term and the other bijection S2 consists of every odd term) each have the recursive formula [tex]S_{n} = (b^2+2)S_{n-1} - S_{n-1}[/tex] we have the following two recursive formulas

[tex](R_{2n} - R_{2}) \cdot (R_{2n+2a} -R_{2a-2}) = (R_{2n+2} - R_{0}) \cdot (R_{2n+2a -2) - R_{2a})[/tex]

[tex](R_{2n+1} - R_{3}) \cdot (R_{2n+1 +2a} - R_{2a-1}) = (R_{2n+3} - R_{1}) \cdot (R_{2n+2a-1} -R_{2a+1})[/tex]

This has some implications for Fibonacci type series and possibly situations where
[tex]a^{2} + b^{2} = c^{2}[/tex]
 

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