Related papers: A New Approach to the Hofstadter $Q$-Recurrence

In this paper, we study the three-term nested recurrence relation $B(n)=B(n-B(n-1))+B(n-B(n-2))+B(n-B(n-3))$ subject to initial conditions where the first $N$ terms are the integers $1$ through $N$. This recurrence is the three-term analog…

The Hofstadter Q-sequence, with its simple definition, has defied all attempts at analyzing its behavior. Defined by a simple nested recurrence and an initial condition, the sequence looks approximately linear, though with a lot of noise.…

Hofstadter's Q-sequence remains an enigma fifty years after its introduction. Initially, the terms of the sequence increase monotonically by 0 or 1 at a time. But, Q(12)=8 while Q(11)=6, and monotonicity fails shortly thereafter. In this…

In this study, we explore the properties of certain solutions of Hofstadter's famous $V$-recurrence, defined by the nested recurrence relation $V(n)=V(n-V(n-1))+V(n-V(n-4))$. First, we discover the nature behind a finite chaotic…

We explore a family of nested recurrence relations with arbitrary levels of nesting, which have an interpretation in terms of fixed points of morphisms over a countably infinite alphabet. Recurrences in this family are related to a number…

In this work, we investigate $H$-recurrence which is defined by $H(n) = H(n-H(n-2)) + H(n-H(n-3))$ thanks to a recent approach to certain recurrences such as Conway and Hofstadter $Q$ recursions.

Roughly speaking, a recurrence relation is nested if it contains a subexpression of the form ... A(...A(...)...). Many nested recurrence relations occur in the literature, and determining their behavior seems to be quite difficult and…

The Hofstadter Q-sequence is a prominent example of nested recurrence. Despite decades of study, it is not even known whether Q(n) is defined for all n. Mantovanelli introduced a parity-perturbed variant $\widetilde{Q}$, obtained by adding…

We study a perturbed variant of Hofstadter's $Q$-recursion \[ Q(n)=Q(n-Q(n-1))+Q(n-Q(n-2))+(-1)^n, \qquad Q(1)=Q(2)=1 . \] Numerical experiments indicate that the sequence remains well defined for very large values of $n$ and exhibits an…

We investigate the conditions on an integer sequence f(n), n 2 N, with f(1) = 0, such that the sequence q(n), computed recursively via q(n) = q(n - q(n - 1)) + f(n), with q(1) = 1, exists. We prove that f(n + 1) - f(n) in {0,1}, n > 0, is a…

I study the recurrence D(n)= D(D(n-1))+D(n-1-D(n-2)), D(1)=D(2)=1. Its definition has some similarity to that of Conway's sequence defined through a(n)= a(a(n-1))+a(n-a(n-1)), a(1)=a(2)=1. However, in contradistinction to the completely…

We continue work started in [1] concerning integer sequences q(n), n in N, defined by q(n) = q(n-q(n-1)) + f(n), with q(1) = 1. Here, f(n), with f(1) = 0, is a given sequence. We define F as the set of semi-infinite sequence f such that the…

A number of observations are made on Hofstadter's integer sequence defined by Q(n)= Q(n-Q(n-1))+Q(n-Q(n-2)), for n > 2, and Q(1)=Q(2)=1. On short scales the sequence looks chaotic. It turns out, however, that the Q(n) can be grouped into a…

A family of nested recurrence relations $a(n+1) = n - a^{(m)}(n) + a^{(m+1)}(n)$, parameterized by an integer $m \ge 1$ with initial condition $a(1)=1$, is studied. We prove that $a(n)=n-h(n)$ is the unique solution satisfying this…

In this paper we firstly review how to \textit{explicitly} solve a system of $3$ \textit{first-order linear recursions }and outline the main properties of these solutions. Next, via a change of variables, we identify a class of systems of…

We consider a generalized model of repeated quantum interactions, where a system $\mathcal{H}$ is interacting in a random way with a sequence of independent quantum systems $\mathcal{K}_n, n \geq 1$. Two types of randomness are studied in…

We study the parity-perturbed Hofstadter-type recursion $$ Q(1)=Q(2)=1,\qquad Q(n)=Q(n-Q(n-1))+Q(n-Q(n-2))+(-1)^n . $$ We prove, by computer-certified finite-state induction, that this recursion is well-defined for all $(n\ge 1)$. The proof…

Nested (or meta-Fibonacci) recurrences, such as the recurrence used to define Hofstadter's Q-sequence, along with the digit-based recurrences that underlie automatic sequences are of interest from both number-theoretic and combinatorial…

Recurrence equations have played a central role in static cost analysis, where they can be viewed as abstractions of programs and used to infer resource usage information without actually running the programs with concrete data. Such…

We consider an initially bound quantum particle subject to an external time-dependent field. When the external field is large, the particle shows a tendency to repeatedly return to its initial state, irrespective of whether the frequency of…