A diluted version of the problem of the existence of the Hofstadter sequence

Abstract

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 sufficient but not necessary condition for the existence of sequence q. Sequences q defined in this way typically display non-trivial dynamics: in particular, they are generally aperiodic with no obvious patterns. We discuss and illustrate this behaviour with some examples.