A099563 a(0) = 0; for n > 0, a(n) = final nonzero number in the sequence n, f(n,2), f(f(n,2),3), f(f(f(n,2),3),4),..., where f(n,d) = floor(n/d); the most significant digit in the factorial base representation of n.

0, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 3, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

Offset: 0

Author

John W. Layman, Oct 22 2004

Keywords

• nonn

Comments

Records in {a(n)} occur at {1,4,18,96,600,4320,35280,322560,3265920,...}, which appears to be n*n! = A001563(n).

The most significant digit in the factorial expansion of n (A007623). Proof: The algorithm that computes the factorial expansion of n, generates the successive digits by repeatedly dividing the previous quotient with successively larger divisors (the remainders give the digits), starting from n itself and divisor 2. As a corollary we find that A001563 indeed gives the positions of the records. - Antti Karttunen, Jan 01 2007.

Examples

			For n=15, f(15,2) = floor(15/2)=7, f(7,3)=2, f(2,4)=0, so a(15)=2.
From _Antti Karttunen_, Dec 24 2015: (Start)
Example illustrating the role of this sequence in factorial base representation:
   n  A007623(n)       a(n) [= the most significant digit].
   0 =   0               0
   1 =   1               1
   2 =  10               1
   3 =  11               1
   4 =  20               2
   5 =  21               2
   6 = 100               1
   7 = 101               1
   8 = 110               1
   9 = 111               1
  10 = 120               1
  11 = 121               1
  12 = 200               2
  13 = 201               2
  14 = 210               2
  15 = 211               2
  16 = 220               2
  17 = 221               2
  18 = 300               3
  etc.
Note that there is no any upper bound for the size of digits in this representation.
(End)
		

Links

• Antti Karttunen, Table of n, a(n) for n = 0..10080
• Index entries for sequences related to factorial base representation

Crossrefs

Cf. A001563, A007623, A099564.

Cf. also A034968, A048764, A051683, A055881, A126307, A230420, A246359, A249069, A257679, A257684, A257686, A257687, A265890, A265891, A265894, A265333, A265334.

Programs

Mathematica

Table[Floor[n/#] &@ (k = 1; While[(k + 1)! <= n, k++]; k!), {n, 0, 120}] (* Michael De Vlieger, Aug 30 2016 *)

PARI

A099563(n) = { my(i=2,dig=0); until(0==n, dig = n % i; n = (n - dig)/i; i++); return(dig); }; \\ Antti Karttunen, Dec 24 2015

Python

def a(n):
    i=2
    d=0
    while n:
        d=n%i
        n=(n - d)//i
        i+=1
    return d
print([a(n) for n in range(201)]) # Indranil Ghosh, Jun 21 2017, after PARI code

Scheme

(define (A099563 n) (let loop ((n n) (i 2)) (let* ((dig (modulo n i)) (next-n (/ (- n dig) i))) (if (zero? next-n) dig (loop next-n (+ 1 i))))))
(definec (A099563 n) (cond ((zero? n) n) ((= 1 (A265333 n)) 1) (else (+ 1 (A099563 (A257684 n)))))) ;; Based on given recurrence, using the memoization-macro definec
;; Antti Karttunen, Dec 24-25 2015

Formula

From Antti Karttunen, Dec 25 2015: (Start)

a(0) = 0; for n >= 1, if A265333(n) = 1 [when n is one of the terms of A265334], a(n) = 1, otherwise 1 + a(A257684(n)).

Other identities. For all n >= 0:

a(A001563(n)) = n. [Sequence works as a left inverse for A001563.]

a(n) = A257686(n) / A048764(n).

(End)

Extensions

a(0) = 0 prepended and the alternative description added to the name-field by Antti Karttunen, Dec 24 2015