A075245 x-value of the solution (x,y,z) to 4/n = 1/x + 1/y + 1/z satisfying 0 < x < y < z and having the largest z-value. The y and z components are in A075246 and A075247.

1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 5, 5, 5, 5, 6, 6, 6, 6, 7, 7, 7, 7, 8, 8, 8, 8, 9, 9, 9, 9, 10, 10, 10, 10, 11, 11, 11, 11, 12, 12, 12, 12, 13, 14, 13, 13, 14, 14, 14, 14, 15, 15, 15, 15, 16, 16, 16, 16, 17, 17, 17, 17, 18, 18, 18, 18, 19, 20, 19, 19, 20, 20, 20, 20, 21, 21, 21

Offset: 3

Author

T. D. Noe, Sep 10 2002

Keywords

• hard
• nice
• nonn

Comments

See A073101 for more details.

a(n) = floor(n/4) + 1, at least up to n = 2000, except for some n = 8k+1 (k = 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 29, 30, 35, 39, 41, 44, 45, 50, ...), where a(n) is one larger than a(n-1) and a(n+1). - M. F. Hasler, Jul 02 2022

Examples

			For n = 3, we have a(3) = 1 = x in 4/3 = 1/x + 1/y + 1/z with y = 4 and z = 12 which is the largest possible z: Indeed, x < y < z gives 4/3 < 3/x, so only x = 1 and 2 are possible, and then with y < z, 2/y > 4/3 - 1/x is impossible for x = 2 < y < 12/5 and for x = 1 < y < 6 only y = 4 gives a solution.
		

Links

• M. F. Hasler, Table of n, a(n) for n = 3..2000

Crossrefs

Cf. A073101, A075246, A075247, A192787.

Programs

Maple

A075245:= proc () local t, n, a, b, t1, largex, largez; for n from 3 to 100 do t := 4/n; largez := 0; largex := 0; for a from floor(1/t)+1 to floor(3/t) do t1 := t-1/a; for b from max(a, floor(1/t1)+1) to floor(2/t1) do if `and`(type(1/(t1-1/b), integer), a < b, b < 1/(t1-1/b)) then if largez < 1/(t1-1/b) then largez := 1/(t1-1/b); largex := a end if end if end do end do; lprint(n, largex) end do end proc; # [program derived from A192787] Patrick J. McNab, Aug 20 2014

Mathematica

For[xLst={}; yLst={}; zLst={}; n=3, n<=100, n++, cnt=0; xr=n/4; If[IntegerQ[xr], x=xr+1, x=Ceiling[xr]]; While[yr=1/(4/n-1/x); If[IntegerQ[yr], y=yr+1, y=Ceiling[yr]]; cnt==0&&y>x, While[zr=1/(4/n-1/x-1/y); cnt==0&&zr>y, If[IntegerQ[zr], z=zr; cnt++; AppendTo[xLst, x]; AppendTo[yLst, y]; AppendTo[zLst, z]]; y++ ]; x++ ]]; xLst

PARI

apply( {A075245(n,c=1,a)=for(x=n\4+1, 3*n\4, my(t=4/n-1/x); for(y=max(1\t,x)+1, ceil(2/t)-1, t-1/y >= c && break; numerator(t-1/y)==1 && [c,a]=[t-1/y,x])); a}, [3..99]) \\ M. F. Hasler, Jul 02 2022

Formula

Conjecture: a(n) = floor(n/4) + d, with d = 1 except for some n = 8k+1 (k = 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 21, 24, 29, 30, 35, 39, ...) where d = 2 . - M. F. Hasler, Jul 02 2022