A100252 Least square n-gonal number greater than 1, or 0 if none exists.

36, 4, 9801, 1225, 81, 225, 9, 0, 196, 64, 36, 441, 3025, 16, 17689, 100, 484, 0, 2601, 729, 68121, 225, 25, 7225, 25921, 81, 1225, 203401, 441, 1089, 4761, 196, 15376, 36, 1936, 511225, 784, 576, 55071241, 47089, 1156, 256, 529046001, 2916, 1134225

Offset: 3

Author

Charlie Marion, Nov 21 2004

Keywords

• nonn

Comments

Also, let j be the smallest integer for which 1+(1+1*n)+(1+2*n)+... +(1+j*n)=k^2=s. Then a(n)=s; if no such j exists, then a(n)=0. Basis for sequence is shortest arithmetic series with initial term 1 and difference n that sums to a perfect square.

See A100251 and A188898 for the corresponding indices of these terms. Note that a(n) is zero for n = 10, 20, 52 (numbers in A188896). Although the Mathematica program searches only the first 25000 square numbers for n-gonal numbers, the Reduce function can show that there are no square n-gonal numbers (other than 0 and 1) for these n. - T. D. Noe, Apr 19 2011

Examples

			a(3)=9801 since 1 + 4 + 7 +...+ (1+80*3)= 99^2 = 9801 and no other arithmetic series with initial term 1, difference 3 and fewer terms sums to a perfect square.
		

Links

• Vincenzo Librandi, Table of n, a(n) for n = 3..100
• Eric W. Weisstein, MathWorld: Polygonal Number
• Eric W. Weisstein, MathWorld: Square Number

Crossrefs

Cf. A000290 (squares), A188891 (similar sequence for triangular numbers).

Programs

Mathematica

NgonIndex[n_, v_] := (-4 + n + Sqrt[16 - 8*n + n^2 - 16*v + 8*n*v])/(n - 2)/2; Table[k = 2; While[sqr = k^2; i = NgonIndex[n, sqr]; k < 25000 && ! IntegerQ[i], k++]; If[k == 25000, k = sqr = i = 0]; sqr, {n, 3, 64}] (* T. D. Noe, Apr 19 2011 *)

Formula

1+(1+1*n)+(1+2*n)+...+(1+A100254(n)*n) = 1+(1+1*n)+(1+2*n)+...+A100253(n) = A100251(n)^2 = a(n).