problem with A051047 and MathWorld

Max relf at unn.ac.ru
Thu Feb 2 23:24:16 CET 2006


The sequence A051047 claims that it satisfies the Diophantus Property while it is not.

In particular, a(3)*a(5)+1 = 8*1680+1 = 13441 is not a square (in fact, it's prime).

I believe, the origin of this error comes from incorrect statement at MathWorld http://mathworld.wolfram.com/DiophantusProperty.html
``Jones (1976) derived an infinite sequence of polynomials S=={x,x+2,c_1(x),c_2(x),...}  such that the product of any two, increased by 1, is the square of a polynomial.''
while it should be
``Jones (1976) derived an infinite sequence of polynomials S=={x,x+2,c_1(x),c_2(x),...}  such that the product of any two _consecutive_ polynomials, increased by 1, is the square of a polynomial.''

But this sequence has nothing to do with the Diophantus Property where the product of _any_ two distinct elements, increased by 1, is the square.

Please correct the description of A051047 and MathWorld's "Diophantus Property" entry.

Regards,
Max





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