English

The Hofstadter consecutive-sum sequence omits infinitely many positive integers

Number Theory 2026-03-24 v2 Combinatorics

Abstract

Let (an)n1(a_n)_{n\ge 1} be the greedy self-generating sequence defined by a1=1a_1=1, a2=2a_2=2, and, for k3k\ge 3, by taking aka_k to be the least integer greater than ak1a_{k-1} that can be written as a sum of at least two consecutive earlier terms. Hofstadter asked about the asymptotic behavior of this sequence. In this paper we prove that n+Ω(loglogn)ann4175/2506+o(1). n+\Omega(\log\log n)\le a_n \ll n^{4175/2506+o(1)}. In particular, (an)n1(a_n)_{n\ge1} omits infinitely many positive integers, thereby settling a conjecture from the OEIS entry A005243.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2603.09939,
  title  = {The Hofstadter consecutive-sum sequence omits infinitely many positive integers},
  author = {Quanyu Tang},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2603.09939},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

16 pages, 1 figure. This is the submitted version

R2 v1 2026-07-01T11:13:26.142Z