[seqfan] Re: Iterating sigma - 1

[franktaw at netscape.net]

FYI, I have submitted the sequence of the number of times the nth prime 
occurs in the sequence.

Franklin T. Adams-Watters

-----Original Message-----
From: Robert G. Wilson v <rgwv at rgwv.com>

Tony,

     You wish to submit a sequence of the least k such that the number 
of
iterations is n?

Bob.

--------------------------------------------------
From: "T. D. Noe" <noe at sspectra.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2010 5:46 PM
To: "Sequence Fanatics Discussion list" <seqfan at list.seqfan.eu>
Subject: [seqfan] Re: Iterating sigma - 1

> At 4:51 PM -0400 5/6/10, franktaw at netscape.net wrote:
>>Consider http://www.research.att.com/~njas/sequences/A039654 - Prime
>>reached by iterating f(x) = sigma(x)-1 on n.
>>
>>It isn't obvious that this iteration always reaches a prime, although
>>it seems nearly certain that it does. Should we add something like ",
>>or 0 if no prime is ever reached", with a comment that apparently the
>>sequence always does reach a prime? (Or can someone prove that a prime
>>is always reached?)
>>
>>One might, in this case, also add a(1) = 0 (suitably modifying the
>>comment).
>
> For n>1, the iteration "x=n, repeat x=f(x) until a fixed point is 
reached"
> will either increase indefinitely or converge to a prime.  There is no
> possibility of looping because f(x) >= x for all x>1.  If the 
iteration
> converges, it will converge to a prime because sigma(x)=x+1 iff x is
> prime.
> The following Mma code is better because it doesn't stop after 6
> iterations:
>
> f[n_] := DivisorSigma[1,n]-1; Table[FixedPoint[f,n], {n,1000}]
>
> The iteration converges for all 1 < n <= 10^6. In that range, the 
maximum
> number of iterations is 45.
>
> Tony
>
>
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>
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