How to Prove Fibonacci Squared Recurrence Relation

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alec_tronn
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Homework Statement


We were asked in a class discussion if we could try to figure out the recurrence relation of the Fibonacci squared sequence. I correctly figured that the equation was
F[tex]^{2}_{n}[/tex]=2F[tex]^{2}_{n-1}[/tex] + 2F[tex]^{2}_{n-2}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{n-3}[/tex]

with F[tex]^{2}_{1}[/tex] = 0 and F[tex]^{2}_{2}[/tex] = 1 and F[tex]^{2}_{3}[/tex] = 1.

Now, our class homework is to prove it.


The Attempt at a Solution



My first instinct is proof by induction. So I start with:

Test the hypothesis with n=4 (since n=1,2,3 are given by definition).
F[tex]^{2}_{4}[/tex] = 2F[tex]^{2}_{3}[/tex] + 2F[tex]^{2}_{2}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{1}[/tex]
= 2 + 2 - 0
= 4, which agrees with original definition(because F[tex]^{1}_{4}[/tex] = 2, and thus F[tex]^{2}_{4}[/tex] = 4).

So, the formula holds for some arbitrary but fixed n (n being a member of the natural numbers).

Test n+1.
F[tex]^{2}_{n+1}[/tex] = (F[tex]^{1}_{n}[/tex] + F[tex]^{1}_{n-1}[/tex])^{2} (by definition. of Fib. Sequence)

=F[tex]^{2}_{n}[/tex] + 2 F[tex]^{1}_{n}[/tex] * F[tex]^{1}_{n-1}[/tex] + F[tex]^{2}_{n-1}[/tex] (by distribution)

= 2F[tex]^{2}_{n-1}[/tex] + 2F[tex]^{2}_{n-2}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{n-3}[/tex] + 2 F[tex]^{1}_{n}[/tex] * F[tex]^{1}_{n-1}[/tex] + 2F[tex]^{2}_{n-2}[/tex] + 2F[tex]^{2}_{n-3}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{n-4}[/tex] (by the induction hypothesis)

= 2F[tex]^{1}_{n-1}[/tex] * (F[tex]^{1}_{n}[/tex] + F[tex]^{1}_{n-1}[/tex]) + 4F[tex]^{2}_{n-2}[/tex] + F[tex]^{2}_{n-3}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{n-4}[/tex]

=2F[tex]^{1}_{n-1}[/tex] * F[tex]^{1}_{n+1}[/tex] + 4F[tex]^{2}_{n-2}[/tex] + F[tex]^{2}_{n-3}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{n-4}[/tex]

That's where I'm stuck. I know (or think I know) that I'm supposed to end up with :
F[tex]^{2}_{n+1}[/tex] = 2F[tex]^{2}_{n}[/tex] + 2F[tex]^{2}_{n-1}[/tex] - F[tex]^{2}_{n-2}[/tex] and so for every n for which the formula is valid, the formula is also valid for n+1. By induction, the formula works for all of the natural numbers.

Could anyone help me figure out the part I'm stuck at?
 
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F2n + 2(Fn)(Fn-1) + F2n-1
F2n + 2(Fn)(Fn - fn-2) + F2n-1
F2n +(2F2n) -(2fn-2*fn) + F2n-1
Use the induction hypothesis on the lone F2n
2F2n + (2F2n-1) + (2F2n-2) - (F2n-3) - 2(Fn*Fn-2) + F2n-1

Notice that the first two terms are the first two terms we are looking for. I'm going to leave those off and manipulate the last 4 terms into -Fn-2. The number of steps I used can probably be reduced under scrutiny, but I just did a rough sketch of this.

F2n-1 + 2F2n-2 - F2n-3 - 2( Fn-1 + Fn-2)*(Fn-2)
Notice that F2n-2 cancels after expanding the last term.
F2n-1 - 2Fn-1*Fn-2 - F2n-3
Write Fn-1 in the middle term as Fn-2 + Fn-3 then expand.

F2n-1 -2F2n-2 - 2Fn-2Fn-3 - F2n-3
Now write the first term as (Fn-2 + Fn-3)^2 and expand.
F2n-2 + 2Fn-2*Fn-3 +f2n-3 -2F2n-2 - 2Fn-2Fn-3 - F2n-3
Combining and canceling leaves just the term we are looking for -Fn-2
Combining that with the terms we dropped earlier gives us:
2F2n+ 2F2n-1 - F2n-2. QED

Sorry for being really messy, but I really didn't want to use a lot of energy typing this out.