English

On m-covering families of Beatty sequences with irrational moduli

Number Theory 2010-08-16 v1 Combinatorics

Abstract

We generalise Uspensky's theorem characterising eventual exact (e.e.) covers of the positive integers by homogeneous Beatty sequences, to e.e. m-covers, for any m \in \N, by homogeneous sequences with irrational moduli. We also consider inhomogeneous sequences, again with irrational moduli, and obtain a purely arithmetical characterisation of e.e. m-covers. This generalises a result of Graham for m = 1, but when m > 1 the arithmetical description is more complicated. Finally we speculate on how one might make sense of the notion of an exact m-cover when m is not an integer, and present a "fractional version" of Beatty's theorem.

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Cite

@article{arxiv.1008.2295,
  title  = {On m-covering families of Beatty sequences with irrational moduli},
  author = {Peter Hegarty},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1008.2295},
  year   = {2010}
}

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21 pages