A296030 Pairs of coordinates for successive integers in the square spiral (counterclockwise).

0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 1, 0, 1, -1, 1, -1, 0, -1, -1, 0, -1, 1, -1, 2, -1, 2, 0, 2, 1, 2, 2, 1, 2, 0, 2, -1, 2, -2, 2, -2, 1, -2, 0, -2, -1, -2, -2, -1, -2, 0, -2, 1, -2, 2, -2, 3, -2, 3, -1, 3, 0, 3, 1, 3, 2, 3, 3, 2, 3, 1, 3, 0, 3, -1, 3, -2, 3, -3, 3, -3, 2

Offset: 1

Author

Benjamin Mintz, Dec 03 2017

Keywords

• sign
• easy
• look

Comments

The spiral is also called the Ulam spiral, cf. A174344, A274923 (x and y coordinates). - M. F. Hasler, Oct 20 2019

The n-th positive integer occupies the point whose x- and y-coordinates are represented in the sequence by a(2n-1) and a(2n), respectively. - Robert G. Wilson v, Dec 03 2017

From Robert G. Wilson v, Dec 05 2017: (Start)

The cover of the March 1964 issue of Scientific American (see link) depicts the Ulam Spiral with a heavy black line separating the numbers from their non-sequential neighbors. The pairs of coordinates for the points on this line, assuming it starts at the origin, form this sequence, negated.

The first number which has an abscissa value of k beginning at 0: 1, 2, 10, 26, 50, 82, 122, 170, 226, 290, 362, 442, 530, 626, 730, 842, 962, ...; g.f.: -(x^3 +7x^2 -x +1)/(x-1)^3;

The first number which has an abscissa value of -k beginning at 0: 1, 5, 17, 37, 65, 101, 145, 197, 257, 325, 401, 485, 577, 677, 785, 901, ...; g.f.: -(5x^2 +2x +1)/(x-1)^3;

The first number which has an ordinate value of k beginning at 0: 1, 3, 13, 31, 57, 91, 133, 183, 241, 307, 381, 463, 553, 651, 757, 871, 993, ...; g.f.: -(7x^2+1)/(x-1)^3;

The first number which has an ordinate value of -k beginning at 0: 1, 7, 21, 43, 73, 111, 157, 211, 273, 343, 421, 507, 601, 703, 813, 931, ...; g.f.: -(3x^2+4x+1)/(x-1)^3;

The union of the four sequences above is A033638.

(End)

Sequences A174344, A268038 and A274923 start with the integer 0 at the origin (0,0). One might then prefer offset 0 as to have (a(2n), a(2n+1)) as coordinates of the integer n. - M. F. Hasler, Oct 20 2019

This sequence can be read as an infinite table with 2 columns, where row n gives the x- and y-coordinate of the n-th point on the spiral. If the point at the origin has number 0, then the points with coordinates (n,n), (-n,n), (n,-n) and (n,-n) have numbers given by A002939(n) = 2n(2n-1): (0, 2, 12, 30, ...), A016742(n) = 4n^2: (0, 4, 16, 36, ...), A002943(n) = 2n(2n+1): (0, 6, 20, 42, ...) and A033996(n) = 4n(n+1): (0, 8, 24, 48, ...), respectively. - M. F. Hasler, Nov 02 2019

Examples

			The integer 1 occupies the initial position, so its coordinates are {0,0}; therefore a(1)=0 and a(2)=0.
The integer 2 occupies the position immediately to the right of 1, so its coordinates are {1,0}.
The integer 3 occupies the position immediately above 2, so its coordinates are {1,1}; etc.
		

References

• S. Wolfram, A New Kind of Science, Wolfram Media, 2002; p. 935.

Links

• Benjamin Mintz, Table of n, a(n) for n = 1..100000
• BackIssues.com, Scientific American March 1964 back issue
• Scientific American, March 1964 cover
• Wikipedia, Ulam Spiral.

Crossrefs

Cf. A033638, A063826, A174344, A180714, A268038, A274923.

Cf. Diagonal rays (+-n,+-n): A002939 (2n(2n-1): 0, 2, 12, 30, ...: NE), A016742 (4n^2: 0, 4, 16, 36, ...: NW), A002943 (2n(2n+1): 0, 6, 20, 42, ...: SW) and A033996 (4n(n+1): 0, 8, 24, 48, ...: SE).

Programs

Mathematica

f[n_] := Block[{k = Ceiling[(Sqrt[n] - 1)/2], m, t}, t = 2k +1; m = t^2; t--; If[n >= m - t, {k -(m - n), -k}, m -= t; If[n >= m - t, {-k, -k +(m - n)}, m -= t; If[n >= m - t, {-k +(m - n), k}, {k, k -(m - n - t)}]]]]; Array[f, 40] // Flatten (* Robert G. Wilson v, Dec 04 2017 *)
f[n_] := Block[{k = Mod[ Floor[ Sqrt[4 If[OddQ@ n, (n + 1)/2 - 2, (n/2 - 2)] + 1]], 4]}, f[n - 2] + If[OddQ@ n, Sin[k*Pi/2], -Cos[k*Pi/2]]]; f[1] = f[2] = 0; Array[f, 90] (* Robert G. Wilson v, Dec 14 2017 *)
f[n_] := With[{t = Round@ Sqrt@ n}, 1/2*(-1)^t*({1, -1}(Abs[t^2 - n] - t) + t^2 - n - Mod[t, 2])]; Table[f@ n, {n, 0, 95}] // Flatten (* Mikk Heidemaa May 23 2020, after Stephen Wolfram *)

PARI

apply( {coords(n)=my(m=sqrtint(n), k=m\/2); if(m <= n -= 4*k^2, [n-3*k,-k], n >= 0, [-k,k-n], n >= -m, [-k-n,k], [k,3*k+n])}, [0..99]) \\ Use concat(%) to remove brackets '[', ']'. This function gives the coordinates of n on the spiral starting with 0 at (0,0), as shown in Examples for A174344, A274923, ..., so (a(2n-1),a(2n)) = coords(n-1). To start with 1 at (0,0), change n to n-=1 in sqrtint(). The inverse function is pos(x,y) given e.g. in A316328. - M. F. Hasler, Oct 20 2019

Python

from math import ceil, sqrt
def get_coordinate(n):
    k=ceil((sqrt(n)-1)/2)
    t=2*k+1
    m=t**2
    t=t-1
    if n >= m - t:
        return k - (m-n), -k
    else:
        m -= t
    if n >= m - t:
        return -k, -k+(m-n)
    else:
        m -= t
    if n >= m-t:
        return -k+(m-n), k
    else:
        return k, k-(m-n-t)

Formula

a(2*n-1) = A174344(n).

a(2*n) = A274923(n) = -A268038(n).

abs(a(n+2) - a(n)) < 2.

a(2*n-1)+a(2*n) = A180714(n).

f(n) = floor(-n/4)*ceiling(-3*n/4 - 1/4) mod 2 + ceiling(n/8) (gives the pairs of coordinates for integers in the diagonal rays). - Mikk Heidemaa, May 07 2020