Edited by
RAYMOND E. WHITNEY
Lock Haven State College, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania
problems believed to be new or extending old results. Proposers should submit solutions or other information that will assist the editor.
To facilitate
H-186
n-1
n+1
^
np+r
j_.
sp+t
( m o d p)
*'
Dec, 1971
513
H-188 Proposed by Raymond Whitney, Lock Haven State College, Lock Haven, Pennsylvania.
Prove that there are no even perfect Fibonacci numbers*
SOLUTIONS
A NORMAL DETERMINANT
H-168
M-('rii')
for i 9 j = 1 9 2 , 'a 9 n9 show that det a..
= 1
It will be convenient to denote the given matrix by Mn5 and its determinant by d(Mn), and then to prove the result by mathematical induction.
Since
i-l,J
ifj-l
and
a.. - a. . - = a. - . .
i]
i,j-l
i-lJ
514
[Dec.
Now if we subtract
from each row (except the first) of the new matrix the preceding row, the first
identity produces the matrix
- (-1 O
where 0 is a row vector of zeros, I is a column vector of ones.
The de-
PRIME TARGET
H-169
ad - be = 1 ,
then
n2 = a2b2 + 2abcd + c2d2 ;
So
1971]
515
EDITORIAL COMMENT
The second part of this proof intended here was not complete,
The late proposer made the same logical oversight.
However,
the second proof he submitted was more complete and can appear at a later date.
Editor V. E. H.
NON-EXISTENT
H-171
Does there exist a continuous real-valued function f defined on a compact interval I of the real line such that
Jf(x) n dx = F n .
What if we require f only be measurable?
Solution by the Proposer.
f does not e x i s t
By the
516
[Dec.
F n = (a11 - b n ) / ^ 5 ,
where
a = (1 +
N/5)/25
b = (1 - ^"5)72 .
I Slip = f /|g(x)|Pdxj
Hffl'p.1
Helloo
= 0} ,
where JJL denotes Lebesgue measure on the real line. It is well known that
since L/X (I) < < ,
lim
p^Jlsllp
list >
Fn = /J fV)dx
w
for n = 1, 2, . Then
PL = li^coPUn = li^y/n
Let
A = { x E I: f(x) = a } ,
B = {x G I: f(x) = -a} .
1971]
517
- b
^5
J f 2k (x)dx
^(A)
^ ( B ) } a 2k
f 2k (x)dx
I-(AUB)
so that
_ J _ _ M(A) _ M(B ) = J L ( A 2 k
(*>
N/5 \ a /
-JE
[Ml2kdx
I-(AUB)
L a
(b/a) 2 k -> 0
K 2k+1
zJ>
.,-
^5
9,
f^Wdx ,
,-
I-(AUB)
Hence
JU(B)
= 0 and
JU(A)
- MB) =
1/NT5.
1/N/5
518
[Dec,
fn(x)dx .
= /
K
Now
lb I = lim
llfll ^ = \\f\Lrr >
ll lk
i i
n->oo'11 l n , K
,K
so
||f(x)|| for almost all x E K.
|b|
Let
C = {x <E K: f(x) = b} ,
D = {x e K: f(x) = -b} .
Then
OK-
^ 3 = fo(C) + pe(D)}b2k +
/
f 2k (x)dx ,
N/5
K-(CUD)
so that
["4^1
K-(CUD) L D
dx .
For let
1971]
Ax)dx = a11 + b n = L
519
However, one can show using the methods above that f cannot be replaced by
a continuous function.
Editorial Note: Robert Giuli noted that
/
b
-a
n-1
-25. dx = F
^5
HISTORY REPEATS
H-172
t=l
th
where F and L denote the n
Fibonacci and Lucas numbers, respectively, and [x] denotes-the greatest integer function.
Solution by Douglas Lindt Stanford University
520
[Dec.
Proposed by George Ledin, Jr., Institute of Chemical Biology, University of San Francisco, San
Francisco, California
The equation
x2 + y2 + 1 = 3xy
(*)
can be written in the form
(ax _ 3 y) 2 - 5y2 = -4 ,
where a = 2. We recall that the general (positive) solution of
x 2 - Sy2 =
-4
is given by
^\2n+l
(H^)
+ v \[5
(n = 0, 1, 2, )
so that
1 \ ^ [2n + l \ 5 r
n Z - r \X 2r /I
r=0
9A 2
2n + 1
= -J_\s
I
2 2 n Z - ^ \ 2 r + if
r=0
1971]
n+l
n 2 ^ \2r + l j 5
n + 1
521
satisfies
2'
2r^n
so that v
= F2
-.
Moreover,
u
+ v
= 2F0 l0 ,
2n+2 '
which gives
2F
2n+2
2n+1
Since
yJ = v ,
n
2x - 3y
= u ,
J
n '
it follows that
2x = u
so t h a t x = F~
+ 3v
= 2F0 l0 + 2F0 ^
= 2F0 l0 ,
2n+2
2n+l
2n+3
2n+3'
y =
2n+1
(n
>
'
' ' -
>
SUM P R O J E C T
H-175 Proposed by L Car/itz, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina.
Put
522
(1 + z + | z 2 )
"n X = 2 a(n?
k)zk
[Dec.
k=0
Show that
a(nsn)
(1)
(n)
= 5 - 8 - (2n - 1)
Lie,
5(-=")(*---X-*)'
2n
M i
(_ w ) r
2-5-8 . . . (3n - 1)
- ^ n 2-58 . . . (3n - 1)
= (coV-3)
nl
where
w = f (-1 - N / - 3 )
f(z)
n=l
J2^
n+l
n=0
Take
r
L^
,n
,-H
J
1971]
f(z) = (1 - z + I Z ) "
so that
4 - tf)n+1
(*)
Jx=0
dx
On the o t h e r hand s
n! a(n,n)
z = wf(z)
becomes
z(l - z + 4 z2) = w ,
which r e d u c e s to
(1 - z) 3 = 1 - 3w .
It follows that
z = 1 - (1 - 3w),4
= v (-Dn H)s%n
n=l
258 (3n
1)
n=0
2*5*8 (3n - 1)
523
524
[Dec,
Since
r=0 V
'
r+s=k \
/ \ / \
it follows that
"--t(":')( .-)W
s=0
(III). Put
1 - z + | z 2 = ( 1 - ofz)(l - j8z)
It is easily verified that
CO
a =
N/-3
N/-3
Then
(1 - z +-*-z4)
= (1 - <zz)
E
r=0
(1 - /3z)
f n + r \ r r \ ~ ^ / n + s\ >s s
?z ,
x
r PL
'
s=0
sf
1971]
525
so that
-> Z (: r )(": B W
r+s=n
f x
2 F!
3/
ln-r
V^3i
^E("r)( 2 V')-'
- '
r=0
pr
ime