On three conjectures of Kimberling concerning the array ⌊kφ^n⌋

Let φ be the golden ratio and let R_n = {⌊kφ^n⌋ : k ≥ 1} be the n-th row of the array T(n,k) = ⌊kφ^n⌋ (OEIS A128440). In 2022 Kimberling conjectured that the rows R_{2n−1} and R_{2n} are disjoint, and that after the two rows are merged and each entry is replaced by its rank, they become the lower and upper Wythoff sequences. He also conjectured (OEIS A358359) that if a(N) is the number of rows containing N, then every positive integer occurs infinitely often among the values of a. We show that the first two conjectures follow quickly from the Skolem–Bang theorem, which also yields the exact rule for when two rows are disjoint: R_i ∩ R_j = ∅ (i < j) if and only if j − i is odd and divides i. We then prove the third conjecture. The main tools are an explicit determination of the rows containing an odd-indexed Lucas number, which extends a result of Noppakaew, Kanwarunyu and Wanitchatchawan, and a "Lucas shift" lemma: if N + 1 is not of the form L_{2e} with e ≥ 1, then adding a sufficiently large even-indexed Lucas number to N does not change the set of rows containing it. We also show that each value of a is taken on a set of positive natural density, and we report computations up to 10^8 suggesting that the least N lying in exactly v ≥ 2 rows is the Lucas number L_{4v−5}.

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-10-03
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.23124803
Primary Topic
Advanced Combinatorial Mathematics
Type
preprint
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preprint

On three conjectures of Kimberling concerning the array ⌊kφ^n⌋

Alex Ashburn
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Advanced Combinatorial Mathematics
preprint

On three conjectures of Kimberling concerning the array ⌊kφ^n⌋

Alex Ashburn
preprint en

Abstract

Let φ be the golden ratio and let R_n = {⌊kφ^n⌋ : k ≥ 1} be the n-th row of the array T(n,k) = ⌊kφ^n⌋ (OEIS A128440). In 2022 Kimberling conjectured that the rows R_{2n−1} and R_{2n} are disjoint, and that after the two rows are merged and each entry is replaced by its rank, they become the lower and upper Wythoff sequences. He also conjectured (OEIS A358359) that if a(N) is the number of rows containing N, then every positive integer occurs infinitely often among the values of a. We show that the first two conjectures follow quickly from the Skolem–Bang theorem, which also yields the exact rule for when two rows are disjoint: R_i ∩ R_j = ∅ (i < j) if and only if j − i is odd and divides i. We then prove the third conjecture. The main tools are an explicit determination of the rows containing an odd-indexed Lucas number, which extends a result of Noppakaew, Kanwarunyu and Wanitchatchawan, and a "Lucas shift" lemma: if N + 1 is not of the form L_{2e} with e ≥ 1, then adding a sufficiently large even-indexed Lucas number to N does not change the set of rows containing it. We also show that each value of a is taken on a set of positive natural density, and we report computations up to 10^8 suggesting that the least N lying in exactly v ≥ 2 rows is the Lucas number L_{4v−5}.

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Advanced Combinatorial Mathematics
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On three conjectures of Kimberling concerning the array ⌊kφ^n⌋ — Alex Ashburn · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS