A006702 Solution to a Pellian equation: least x such that x^2 - n*y^2 = +- 1.

1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 5, 8, 3, 1, 3, 10, 7, 18, 15, 4, 1, 4, 17, 170, 9, 55, 197, 24, 5, 1, 5, 26, 127, 70, 11, 1520, 17, 23, 35, 6, 1, 6, 37, 25, 19, 32, 13, 3482, 199, 161, 24335, 48, 7, 1, 7, 50, 649, 182, 485, 89, 15, 151, 99, 530, 31, 29718, 63, 8, 1, 8, 65, 48842

Offset: 1

Author

N. J. A. Sloane

Keywords

• nonn
• nice
• easy

Comments

When n is a square, the trivial solution x=1, y=0 is taken; otherwise we take the least x that satisfies either the +1 or -1 equation. - T. D. Noe, May 19 2007

Apparently the generating function of the sequence of the denominators of continued fraction convergents to sqrt(n) is always rational and of form p(x)/[1 - C*x^m + (-1)^m * x^(2m)], or equivalently, the denominators satisfy the linear recurrence b(n+2m) = C*b(n+m) - (-1)^m * b(n). If so, then it seems that a(n) is half the value of C for each nonsquare n, or 1. See A003285 for the conjecture regarding m. The same conjectures apply to the sequences of the numerators of continued fraction convergents to sqrt(n). - Ralf Stephan, Dec 12 2013

The conjecture is true, cf. link. - Jan Ritsema van Eck, Mar 08 2021

References

• A. Cayley, Report of a committee appointed for the purpose of carrying on the tables connected with the Pellian equation ..., Collected Mathematical Papers. Vols. 1-13, Cambridge Univ. Press, London, 1889-1897, Vol. 13, pp. 430-443.
• C. F. Degen, Canon Pellianus. Hafniae, Copenhagen, 1817.
• D. H. Lehmer, Guide to Tables in the Theory of Numbers. Bulletin No. 105, National Research Council, Washington, DC, 1941, p. 55.
• N. J. A. Sloane and Simon Plouffe, The Encyclopedia of Integer Sequences, Academic Press, 1995 (includes this sequence).

Links

• T. D. Noe, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..10000
• A. Cayley, Report of a committee appointed for the purpose of carrying on the tables connected with the Pellian equation ..., Collected Mathematical Papers. Vols. 1-13, Cambridge Univ. Press, London, 1889-1897, Vol. 13, pp. 430-443. (Annotated scanned copy)
• Jan Ritsema van Eck, Proof of conjecture in A006702, Mar 08 2021
• M. Zuker, Fundamental solution to Pell's Equation x^2 - d*y^2 = +-1

Crossrefs

Cf. A006703, A077232.

Programs

Mathematica

r[x_, n_] := Reduce[y > 0 && (x^2 - n*y^2 == -1 || x^2 - n*y^2 == 1 ), y, Integers];
a[n_ /; IntegerQ[ Sqrt[n]]] = 1;
a[n_] := a[n] = (k = 1; While[ r[k, n] === False, k++]; k);
Table[ Print[ a[n] ]; a[n], {n, 1, 67}] (* Jean-François Alcover, Jan 30 2012 *)
nmax = 500;
nconv = 200; (* The number of convergents 'nconv' should be increased if the linear recurrence is not found for some terms. *)
a[n_] := a[n] = Module[{lr}, If[IntegerQ[Sqrt[n]], 1, lr = FindLinearRecurrence[Numerator[Convergents[Sqrt[n], nconv]]]; SelectFirst[lr, #>1&]/2]];
Table[Print[n, " ", a[n] ]; a[n], {n, 1, nmax}] (* Jean-François Alcover, Feb 22 2021 *)

Extensions

Corrected and extended by T. D. Noe, May 19 2007