Extended skolem sequences

A k-extended Skolem sequence of order n is an integer sequence (s₁, s₂,…, s_2n+1) in which s_k = 0 and for each j ? {1,…,n}, there exists a unique i ? {1,…, 2n} such that s_i = s_i+j = j. We show that such a sequence exists if and only if either 1) k is odd and n ≡ 0 or 1 (mod 4) or (2) k is even and n ≡ 2 or 3 (mod 4). The same conditions are also shown to be necessary and sufficient for the existence of excess Skolem sequences. Finally, we use extended Skolem sequences to construct maximal cyclic partial triple systems. © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the density of odd integers of the form (p − 1)2−n and related questions

It is shown that odd integers k such that k · 2ⁿ + 1 is prime for some positive integer n have a positive lower density. More generally, for any primes p₁, …, p_r, the integers k such that k is relatively prime to each of p₁,…, p_r, and such that k · p₁^n₁p₂^n₂ … p_r^n_r + 1 is prime for some n₁,…, n_r, also have a positive lower density.     

Enumeration of rises and falls by position

Let π=(π₁, π₂,…,π_n) denote a permutation of Z_n = {1, 2,…, n}. The pair (π_i, π_i+1) is a rise if π_i<π_i+1 or a fall if π_i>π_i+1. Also a conventional rise is counted at the beginning of π and a conventional fall at the end. Let k be a fixed integer ≥ 1. The rise π_i,π_i+1 is said to be in a in a j (mod k) position if i ≡ j (mod k); similarly for a fall. The conventional rise at the beginning is in a 0 (mod k) position, while the conventional fall at the end is in an n (mod k) position. Let $\text{P}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{≡P}{}_{\mathrm{n}}\text{(r}{}_0\text{,…,r}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{?1,?}{}_0\text{,…,?;}{}_{\mathrm{k}}\text{?1)}$ denote the number of permutations having r_i rises i (mod k) positions and ?;_i falls in i (mod k) positions. A generating function for P_n is obtained. In particular, for k = 2 the generating function is quite explicit and also, for certain special cases when k = 4.     

On the diophantine equation x 2 − Dy 2 = n

We propose a method to determine the solvability of the diophantine equation x2-Dy2=n for the following two cases:(1) D = pq,where p,q ≡ 1 mod 4 are distinct primes with(q/p)=1 and(p/q)4(q/p)4=-1.(2) D=2p1p2 ··· pm,where pi ≡ 1 mod 8,1≤i≤m are distinct primes and D=r2+s2 with r,s ≡±3 mod 8.     

A symmetry relationship for a class of partitions

Let S(n, k, v) denote the number of vectors (a₀,…, a_n?1) with nonnegative integer components that satisfy a₀ + … + a_{n ? 1} = k and Σ_i=0^n?1ia_i ≡ v (mod n). Two proofs are given for the relation S(n, k, v) = S(k, n, v). The first proof is by algebraic enumeration while the second is by combinatorial construction.     

On the odd harmonious graphs with applications

The necessary conditions for the existence of odd harmonious labelling of graph are obtained. A cycle C _n is odd harmonious if and only if n≡0 (mod 4). A complete graph K _n is odd harmonious if and only if n=2. A complete k-partite graph K(n ₁,n ₂,…,n _k ) is odd harmonious if and only if k=2. A windmill graph K _n ^t is odd harmonious if and only if n=2. The construction ways of odd harmonious graph are given. We prove that the graph ∨ _i=1 ⁿ G _i , the graph G(+r ₁,+r ₂,…,+r _p ), the graph $\bar{K_{m}}+_{0}P_{n}+_{e}\bar{K_{t}}$ , the graph G∪(X+∪ _k=1 ⁿ Y _k ), some trees and the product graph P _m ×P _n etc. are odd harmonious. The odd harmoniousness of graph can be used to solve undetermined equation.     

Decomposition of k1n into circuits of odd length

In this paper we prove that the complete symmetric directed graph with n vertices K¹_n can be decomposed into directed circuits of length k, where k is an odd integer, if n ≡ 0 or 1 (mod k) and n ? k.     

An application of L-functions of imaginary quadratic fields

Let F₁(x, y),…, F_2h+1(x, y) be the representatives of equivalent classes of positive definite binary quadratic forms of discriminant ?q (q is a prime such that q ≡ 3 mod 4) with integer coefficients, then the number of integer solutions of F_i(x, y) = n (i = 1,…, 2h + 1) can be calculated for each natural number n using L-functions of imaginary quadratic field $\text{Q}$((?q)^1/2).     

More cyclic triplewhist tournaments

We extend the set of values of n for which it is known that a Z-cyclic triple whist tournament for 4n players exists by proving that if there exists such a tournament for q + 1 players, where q ≡ 3 (mod 4) is prime, then there exists such a tournament for qp^a1₁…p^an_n + 1 players, whenever the p_i are primes ≡ 5 (mod 8). © 1995 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Presentations of alternating semigroups

One presentation of the alternating groupA _n hasn?2 generatorss ₁,…,s_n?2 and relationss ₁ ³ =s _i ² =(s_1?1s_i)³=(s_js_k)²=1, wherei>1 and |j?k|>1. Against this backdrop, a presentation of the alternating semigroupA _n ^c )A _n is introduced: It hasn?1 generatorss ₁,…,S _n?2,e, theA _n-relations (above), and relationse ²=e, (es ₁)⁴, (es _j)²=(es _j)⁴,es _i=s _i s ₁ ^-1 es ₁, wherej>1 andi≥1.     

Permutations and successions

Let π = (π(1), π(2),…, π(n)) be a permutation on {1, 2, …, n}. A succession (respectively, ¹-succession) in π is any pair π(i), π(i + 1), where π(i + 1) = π(i) + 1 (respectively, π(i + 1) ≡ π(i) + 1 (mod n)), i = 1, 2, …, n ? 1. Let R(n, k) (respectively, $\text{R}{}^1\text{(n, k)}$) be the number of permutations with k successions (respectively, ¹-successions). In this note we determine R(n, k) and $\text{R}{}^1\text{(n, k)}$. In addition, these notions are generalized to the case of circular permutations, where analogous results are developed.     

A specific family of cyclotomic polynomials of order three

Let A(n) be the largest absolute value of any coefficient of n-th cyclotomic polynomial Φn(x).We say Φn(x) is flat if A(n) = 1.In this paper,for odd primes p q r and 2r ≡ 1(mod pq),we prove that Φpqr(x) is flat if and only if p = 3 and q ≡ 1(mod 3).     

Isomorphism of circulant graphs and digraphs

Let S? {1, …, n?1} satisfy ?S = S mod n. The circulant graph G(n, S) with vertex set {v₀, v₁,…, v_n?1} and edge set E satisfies v_iv_j?E if and only if j ? i ∈ S, where all arithmetic is done mod n. The circulant digraph G(n, S) is defined similarly without the restriction S = ? S. Ádám conjectured that $\text{G(n, S) ? G(n, S′)}$ if and only if S = uS′ for some unit u mod n. In this paper we prove the conjecture true if n = pq where p and q are distinct primes. We also show that it is not generally true when n = p², and determine exact conditions on S that it be true in this case. We then show as a simple consequence that the conjecture is false in most cases when n is divisible by p² where p is an odd prime, or n is divisible by 2⁴.     

Extension of a theorem of Cauchy and Jacobi

Let q and p be prime with q = a² + b² ≡ 1 (mod 4), a ≡ 1 (mod 4), and p = qf + 1. In the nineteenth century Cauchy (Mém. Inst. France17 (1840), 249–768) and Jacobi (J. für Math.30 (1846), 166–182) generalized the work of earlier authors, who had determined certain binomial coefficients (mod p) (see H. J. S. Smith, “Report on the Theory of Numbers,” Chelsea, 1964), by determining two products of factorials given by Π_kkf! (mod p = qf + 1) where k runs through the quadratic residues and the quadratic non-residues (mod q), respectively. These determinations are given in terms of parameters in representations of p^h or of 4p^h by binary quadratic forms. A remarkable feature of these results is the fact that the exponent h coincides with the class number of the related quadratic field. In this paper C. R. Mathews' (Invent. Math.54 (1979), 23–52) recent explicit evaluation of the quartic Gauss sum is used to determine four products of factorials (mod p = qf + 1, q ≡ 5 (mod 8) > 5), given by Π_kkf! where k runs through the quartic residues (mod q) and the three cosets which may be formed with respect to this subgroup. These determinations appear to be considerably more difficult. They are given in terms of parameters in representations of 16p^h by quaternary quadratic forms. Stickelberger's theorem is required to determine the exponent h which is shown to be closely related to the class number of the imaginary quartic field Q(i√2q + 2a√q), q = a² + b² ≡ 5 (mod 8), a odd.     

On the representation of integers by p-adic diagonal forms

Let p be an odd prime, let d be a positive integer such that (d,p?1)=1, let r denote the p-adic valuation of d and let m=1+3+3²+…+3^r. It is shown that for every p-adic integer n the equation Σ_i=1^mX_i^d=n has a nontrivial p-adic solution. It is also shown that for all p-adic units a₁, a₂, a₃, a₄ and all p-adic integers n the equation Σ_i=1⁴a_iX_i^p=n has a nontrivial p-adic solution. A corollary to each of these results is that every p-adic integer is a sum of four pth powers of p-adic integers.     

Polynomials generalizing binomial coefficients and their application to the study of Fermat's last theorem

We study properties of the polynomials φ_k(X) which appear in the formal development Π_{k ? 0}ⁿ (a + bX^k)^rk = Σ_{k ≥ 0}φ_k(X) a^{r ? k}b^k, where r_k ∈ $\text{l}$ and r = Σr_k. this permits us to obtain the coefficients of all cyclotomic polynomials. Then we use these properties to expand the cyclotomic numbers G_r(ξ) = Π_{k = 1}^{p ? 1} (a + bξ^k)^kr, where p is a prime, ξ is a primitive pth root of 1, a, b ∈ $\text{l}$ and 1 ≤ r ≤ p ? 3, modulo powers of ξ ? 1 (until (ξ ? 1)^{2(p ? 1) ? r}). This gives more information than the usual logarithmic derivative. Suppose that $\text{p ? ab(a + b)}$. Let $\text{m = ?}\text{b}\text{a}$. We prove that G_r(ξ) ≡ c^p mod p(ξ ? 1)² for some c ∈ $\text{l}$, if and only if Σ_{k = 1}^{p ? 1}k^{p ? 2 ? r}m^k ≡ 0 (mod p). We hope to show in this work that this result is useful in the study of the first case of Fermat's last theorem.     

Some congruence properties of three well-known sequences: Two notes

The three sequences mentioned in the title are Ramanujan's τ-function, the coefficients c_n of Klein, Fricke, and Shimura, and the sequence a_n of Apèry numbers. In the first note, it is shown that c_n ≡ τ(n)(mod 11). In the second note it is shown that for a prime p, a_p+1 ≡ 25 + 60p(mod p²).     

New necessary and sufficient conditions on (ai,mi) in order that x ≡ ai (mod mi) be a covering system

A covering system is a set of congruences x ≡ a_i (mod m_i), i = 1, … k, such that every integer satisfies at least one of them.A new necessary and sufficient condition in order that a given set of congruences x ≡ a_i (mod m_i) be a covering system is established.We show that (4) are such conditions.For exact covering systems they are reduced to (5).The connection of these conditions to known ones such as those [3] based on Bernoulli polynomials and those [8] based on cosets of Z_m1 × Z_m2 × … × Z_mk are studied.     

On a conjecture of Chowla and Chowla

The equation y² ≡ x(x + a₁)(x + a₂) … (x + a_r) (mod p), where a₁, a₂, …, a_r are integers is shown to have a solution in integers x, y with 1 ≦ x ≦C, where C is a constant depending only on a₁, a₂, …, a_r.