A078786 Period of cycle of the inventory sequence (as in A063850) starting with n.

2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 2, 1, 2, 1, 1, 4, 4, 4, 4, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3, 3, 3, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4, 4, 1, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3, 3, 1, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3, 2, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 4, 3, 2, 2, 2, 1, 1

Offset: 1

Author

Joseph L. Pe, Jan 14 2003

Keywords

• base
• nice
• nonn

Comments

It can be proved that any inventory sequence ends in a cycle all of whose terms are <= 10^20. Conjecture: a(n) <= 4 for all n. It suffices to check this for all inventory sequences starting with n, where n <= 10^20.

Examples

			The inventory sequence starting with 1 is: 1, 11, 21, 1211, 3112, 132112, 311322, 232122, 421311, 14123113, 41141223, 24312213, 32142321, 23322114, 32232114, 23322114, .... which ends in the cycle 32232114, 23322114 of period 2. Hence a(1) = 2.
		

Links

• Carlos Rivera, Puzzle 207. The Inventory Sequences and Self-Inventoried Numbers, The Prime Puzzles & Problems Connection.

Crossrefs

Cf. A063850, A078970.

Programs

Mathematica

g[n_] := Module[{seen, r, d, l, i, t}, seen = {}; r = {}; d = IntegerDigits[n]; l = Length[d]; For[i = 1, i <= l, i++, t = d[[i]]; If[ ! MemberQ[seen, t], r = Join[r, IntegerDigits[Count[d, t]]]; r = Join[r, {t}]; seen = Append[seen, t]]]; FromDigits[r]];
per[n_] := Module[{r, t, p1, p}, r = {}; t = g[n]; While[ ! MemberQ[r, t], r = Append[r, t]; t = g[t]]; r = Append[r, t]; p1 = Flatten[Position[r, t]]; p = p1[[2]] - p1[[1]]; p]; Table[per[i], {i, 1, 100}]