For a sequence $a$, $a_1=2$, $a_n=\frac{n-1}{a_{n-1}}+n-1$Express $a_n$ in terms of $n$.
I tried keep expanding, got many level of fraction until $n=1$, but I still can't see the pattern. Please help. Thank you.
For a sequence $a$, $a_1=2$, $a_n=\frac{n-1}{a_{n-1}}+n-1$Express $a_n$ in terms of $n$.
I tried keep expanding, got many level of fraction until $n=1$, but I still can't see the pattern. Please help. Thank you.
I doubt very much that you’re going to get anything very nice. If you do the obvious thing and begin by calculating a few values, you get this:
$\begin{array}{rcc} n:&1&2&3&4&5&6\\\\ a_n=\frac{p_n}{q_n}:&2&\frac32&\frac{10}3&\frac{39}{10}&\frac{196}{39}&\frac{1175}{196}\\\\ p_n:&2&3&10&39&196&1175\\ q_n:&1&2&3&10&39&196\\ a_n:&2&1.5&3.\overline{3}&3.9&\sim5.025641&\sim5.994898\\\\ \end{array}$
The last line is just to get an idea of the actual size of $a_n$, and the previous lines just give the numerator and denominator of the rational representation in the second line. It’s immediately apparent that $q_n=p_{n-1}$, and indeed if we set $a_n=\frac{p_n}{q_n}$ we have
$a_{n+1}=\frac{n(p_n+q_n)}{p_n}\;,$
$p_{n+1}=n(p_n+q_n)$ and $q_{n+1}=p_n$, and finally $p_{n+1}=n(p_n+p_{n-1})$.
In short, the sequence is entirely determined by the sequence $\langle p_n:n\in\Bbb N\rangle$ (where we may take $p_0=1$). This turns out to be OEIS A003048, and the entry gives the closed form
$p_n=2n!-\left\lfloor\frac{n!+1}e\right\rfloor$
and the exponential generating function
$g(x)=\frac{2-e^{-x}}{1-x}\;.$
(It is clear that $a_n\approx n$ for even moderatly large $n$.)