On the ubiquity of the ruler sequence

Abstract

The ruler function or the Gros sequence is a classical infinite integer sequence that is underlying some interesting mathematical problems. In this paper, we provide four new problems containing this type of sequence: (i) a demographic discrete dynamical automata, (ii) the middle interval Cantor set, (iii) the construction by duplication of polygons and (iv) the horizontal visibility sequence at the accumulation point of the Feigenbaum cascade. In all of them, the infinte sequence is obtained by a recursive procedure of duplication. The properties of the ruler sequence, in particular, those relating to recursiveness and self-containing, are used to get a deeper understanding of these four problems. These new representations of the ruler sequence could inspire new studies in the field of discrete mathematics.