A258149 Triangle of the absolute difference of the two legs (catheti) of primitive Pythagorean triangles.

1, 0, 7, 7, 0, 17, 0, 1, 0, 31, 23, 0, 0, 0, 49, 0, 17, 0, 23, 0, 71, 47, 0, 7, 0, 41, 0, 97, 0, 41, 0, 7, 0, 0, 0, 127, 79, 0, 31, 0, 0, 0, 89, 0, 161, 0, 73, 0, 17, 0, 47, 0, 119, 0, 199, 119, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 73, 0, 0, 0, 241

Offset: 2

Author

Wolfdieter Lang, Jun 10 2015

Keywords

• nonn
• easy
• tabl

Comments

For primitive Pythagorean triangles characterized by certain (n,m) pairs and references see A225949.

Here a(n,m) = 0 for non-primitive Pythagorean triangles, and for primitive Pythagorean triangles a(n,m) = abs(n^2 - m^2 - 2*n*m) = abs((n-m)^2 - 2*m^2).

The number of non-vanishing entries in row n is A055034(n).

D(n,m):= n^2 - m^2 - 2*n*m >= 0 if 1 <= m <= floor(n/(sqrt(2)+1)), and D(n,m) < 0 if n/(sqrt(2)+1)+1 <= m <= n-1, for n >= 2.

The Pell equation (n-m)^2 - 2*m^2 = +/- N is important here to find the representations of +N or -N in the triangle D(n,m). For instance, odd primes N have to be of the +1 (mod 8) (A007519) or -1 (mod 8) (A007522) form, that is, from A001132. See the Nagell reference, Theorem 110, p. 208 with Theorem 111, pp. 210-211. E.g., N = +7 appears for m = 1, 3, 9, 19, 53, ... (A077442) for n = 4, 8, 22, 46, 128, ... (2*A006452).

N = -7 appears for n = 3, 9, 19, 53, 111, ... (A077442) and m = 2, 4, 8, 22, 46, ... (2*A006452).

For the signed version 2*n*m - (n^2 - m^2) see A278717. - Wolfdieter Lang, Nov 30 2016

Examples

			The triangle a(n,m) begins:
n\m   1  2  3  4  5  6  7   8   9  10  11 ...
2:    1
3:    0  7
4:    7  0 17
5:    0  1  0 31
6:   23  0  0  0 49
7:    0 17  0 23  0 71
8:   47  0  7  0 41  0 97
9:    0 41  0  7  0  0  0 127
10:  79  0 31  0  0  0 89   0 161
11:   0 73  0 17  0 47  0 119   0 199
12: 119  0  0  0  1  0 73   0   0   0 241
...
a(2,1) = |1^2 - 2*1^2| = 1 for the primitive Pythagorean triangle (pPt) [3,4,5] with |3-4| = 1.
a(3,2) = |1^2 - 2*2^2| = 7 for the pPt [5,12,13] with |5 - 12| = 7.
a(4,1) = |3^2 - 2*1^2| = 7 for the pPt [15, 8, 17] with |15 - 8| = 7.
		

References

• See also A225949.
• T. Nagell, Introduction to Number Theory, Chelsea Publishing Company, New York, 1964, pp. 208, 210-211.

Crossrefs

Cf. A249866, A222946, A225949, A222951, A258150, A278717 (signed).

Programs

Mathematica

a[n_, m_] /; n > m >= 1 && CoprimeQ[n, m] && (-1)^(n+m) == -1 := Abs[n^2 - m^2 - 2*n*m]; a[, ] = 0; Table[a[n, m], {n, 2, 12}, {m, 1, n-1}] // Flatten (* Jean-François Alcover, Jun 16 2015, after given formula *)

Formula

a(n,m) = abs(n^2 - m^2 -2*n*m) = abs((n-m)^2 - 2*m^2) if n > m >= 1, gcd(n,m) = 1, and n and m are integers of opposite parity (i.e., (-1)^(n+m) = -1); otherwise a(n,m) = 0.