cp's OEIS Frontend

First row is A061419, first column is T(n,0) = A016777(n) = 3n+1 (namely the numbers not of the form ceiling(3*k/2) for any natural number k, in increasing order), main diagonal is A083045, antidiagonal sums give A083046. [further detail on first column added by Glen Whitney, Aug 03 2018]

A083044 is the dispersion of the sequence A007494 of positive integers congruent to (0 or 2) mod 3; see A191655. - Clark Kimberling, Jun 10 2011

If T(n+1,k) - T(n,k) = 2m, then T(n+1,k+1) - T(n,k+1) = ceiling(3T(n+1,k)/2) - ceiling(3T(n,k)/2) = ceiling(3T(n,k)/2 + 3m) - ceiling(3T(n,k)/2) = 3m. Similarly, if T(n+1,k) - T(n,k) = 2m+1, then T(n+1,k+1) - T(n,k+1) = ceiling(3T(n,k)/2 + 3m + 3/2) - ceiling(3T(n,k)/2) = {3m+1 or 3m+2, according to whether T(n,k) is even or odd}. The first differences of the first column T(n,0) are periodic: (3)*. The parities of the first column T(n,0) are periodic: (odd,even)*. Hence by induction using the prior two observations, the first differences and parities of every column will be periodic; e.g., for the second column T(n,2): the first differences are (4,5)* and the parities are (even,even,odd,odd)*; for the third column T(n,3): (6,8,6,7)* and (odd,odd,odd,odd,even,even,even,even)*; for the fourth column T(n,4): (9,12,9,10,9,12,9,11)* and (o,e,e,o,o,e,e,o,e,o,o,e,e,o,o,e)*. Is the period length of the first differences of column k always 2^{k-1}? And is the period length of parities always 2^k? Does every integer > 2 occur as T(n+1,k) - T(n,k) for some n and k? Is the smallest first difference in column k always A061418(k+1)? And is the largest first difference in column k always A061419(k+2)? - Glen Whitney, Aug 03 2018

Consider the following two-player game: Start with two nonempty piles of counters. Players alternate taking turns consisting of first discarding one of the piles and then dividing the remaining pile into two nonempty piles. The smaller pile may always be discarded; the larger pile may only be discarded if the smaller pile is at least half as large. (Either pile may be discarded if they are equal.) The player who cannot move (because the configuration has reached two piles of one counter each) loses. Then the numbers c for which two piles of size c is a losing configuration (for the player whose turn it is) are exactly T(4,k) for k > 1, together with 1,3,5, and 9. - Glen Whitney, Aug 03 2018

If all the terms in the sequence are reduced by one and then all zeros are removed, the result is the same as the original sequence.

From Benoit Cloitre, Mar 07 2009: (Start)

To construct the sequence:

Step 1: start from a sequence of 1's and leave two undefined places between every pair of 1's giving: 1,(),(),1,(),(),1,(),(),1,(),(),1,(),(),1,...

Step 2: replace the first undefined place with a 2 and henceforth leave two undefined places between two 2's giving: 1,2,(),1,(),2,1,(),(),1,2,(),1,(),2,1,...

Step 3: replace the first undefined place with a 3 and henceforth leave two undefined places between two 3's giving: 1,2,3,1,(),2,1,(),3,1,2,(),1,(),2,1,...

Step 4: replace the first undefined place with a 4 and leave 2 undefined places between two 4's giving: 1,2,3,1,4,2,1,(),3,1,2,(),1,4,2,1,... Iterating the process indefinitely yields the sequence: 1,2,3,1,4,2,1,5,3,1,2,6,1,4,2,1,... (End)

From Peter Munn, Jul 10 2020: (Start)

For k >= 1, the number k occurs in a pattern with fundamental period 3^k, and with points of mirror symmetry at intervals of (3^k)/2. Those points have an extrapolated common origin (for k >= 1) at an offset 1.5 to the left of the sequence's initial "1". The snake format illustration in the example section may be useful for visualizing this.

(End)

For k >= 1, k first occurs at position A061419(k) and its k-th occurrence is at position A083045(k-1). - Peter Munn, Aug 23 2020

(a(n)) is the unique fixed point of the two-block substitution a,b -> 1,a+1,b+1, where a,b are natural numbers. - Michel Dekking, Sep 26 2022

This sequence is the unique fixed point of the function (a(0), a(1), a(2), ...) |--> (0, a(0), a(1), 1, a(2), a(3), 2, a(4), a(5), ...) which interleaves the nonnegative integers with pairs of elements of a sequence.

Compare with A025480, the unique fixed point of the function (a(0), a(1), a(2), ...) |--> (0, a(0), 1, a(1), 2, a(2), ...) which interleaves the nonnegative integers between the elements of a sequence.

These are the nim-values for heaps of n beans in the game where you're allowed to take up to one-third of the beans in a heap.

The condition "with as many distinct values as possible" means here that for any distinct m and n, provided the orbits of m and n under the map x -> x + pi(x) do not merge, then a(m) <> a(n).

This sequence has similarities with A003602 (A003602(2*n) = A003602(n)) and with A163491 (A163491(n+ceiling(n/2)) = A163491(n)).