A POWER IDENTITY FOR SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES

V . E . Hoggatt, J r . , San Jose State College, San Jose, C a l i f .

and D . A . Lind, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, V a .

1.

INTRODUCTION

The following hold for all integers n and k:

F

n+k ~ F k F n+i

+ F

k-lFn

n+k = k , )

( F k F k- 2 ) F n + 1 " ( W k - ^ '

n+k = ( F k F k - i F k - 2 / 2 > F n + 3

< F k F k-i F k-3) F n + 2 " ( F k F k- 2 F k- 3 ) F n + i

" < F k-i F k- 2 F k- 3 /2K

These identities suggest that there is a general expansion of the form

jjy

(1.1)

n+k E a J

iKP)F

3=o

Here we show such an expansion does indeed exist, find an expression for the
coefficients a.(k s p), and generalize (1.1) to second order recurrent sequences.
2S

A FIBONACCI POWER IDENTITY

Define the Fibonomial coefficients

F F
F
m m-i
m-r+i
F1F2--Fr

ml
:\ by

(r > 0);

Jarden [4] proved that the term-by-term product z

obeying the Fibonacci recurrence satisfies
274

= 1

of p sequences each

[Oct. 1966]

A POWER IDENTITY FOR

SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES
p+i

p+1

J2 H-> 3 ( J + I ) / 2

(2.D
for i n t e g r a l n.

275

n-j

In p a r t i c u l a r z n = F ^ obeys (2.1). C a r l i t z , [ 1 , Section 1] has

shown that the d e t e r m i n a n t

D

"n+r+s

(r,s =

0,l,-,p)

has the value

Dp

= (-l)P(P+1)(n+1)/2|(P).

( F ^ . - F p ) ^

i=o \ J /
implying that the

p+1

sequences

independent over the r e a l s .

{F },{F P

} , , {FP

are

linearly

Since each of t h e s e s e q u e n c e s obeys the (p + 1)

o r d e r r e c u r r e n c e r e l a t i o n (2.1), they m u s t s p a n the space of solutions of (2.1).

T h e r e f o r e an expansion of the f o r m (1.1) e x i s t s .
To evaluate the coefficients
giving a.(k,p) = 6.7
fined by

<5., = 0

for
if

a.(k,p) in (1.1) we f i r s t put

0 < j?k < p,

j 4= k,

6-,,

k 0,ls , p ,

w h e r e 6.-. i s the K r o n e c k e r - d e l t a d e -

= 1.

Next we show that the s e q u e n c e

{a.(k,p)}l^o
obeys (2.1) for j = 0 , 1 , , p .

Indeed from (1.1) we find

p+i

o = J2 <-D r(r+1)/2
p I p+i
j=o j r=o

P + 1
"n+k-r

P+1
r

a ( k - r , p ) } F;
n+j

But the F v . (j = 0 , 1 , e * e ,p) a r e l i n e a r l y independent, so that

n+j

1 r(r+1)/2

E <- >
r=o

p+1
r

a.(k - r , p ) = 0 ( j

0,l,---,p)

276

A POWER IDENTITY FOR

Now consider

b.(k,p) = (F, F,

F,

)/F,

[Oct.

.(F.F. " F F

>00

F.

for

j = 0, ! , ,p - 1, b (k,p) = I p j , together with the convention that F 0 / F 0 = 1.

Clearly bj(k,p) = <5., for 0 < j,k < p.

Since {b.(k,p)}j_

is ;the term-by -

term product of p Fibonacci sequences, it must obey (2.1). Thus {a.(k,p)},

oo
th
^
and |b.(k,p)},
obey the same (p + 1) order recurrence relation and have
their first p + 1 values equal (j = 0 , l , - - , , p ) , so that a.(k,p) = b.(k,p).
J
r
Since F_ = (-l) n+1 F , it follows that
F -F.
= F .F1V
1 (-l)
-1
j-p
p-J
'

(P~J)(P-J+3)/2

so that for j = 0 , 1 , ,p - 1, we have

+3
a.(k,p) = (-1) (lH)(P-J )/2

(-i)

I VW" F 1 ll(Fr-Fi)(V]"-^flFk-j/

(P-J)(P-J+*)/2

which is also valid for

ClDf]

(F

k-P/Fk-j>'

j = p using the convention

F0 / F 0 = 1.

Then (1.1)

becomes
P
(2 2)

'

n+k = 2 ^ "

v(p-3)(p-J+3)/21

ir

LP.

for all k We remark that since consecutive p

<Fk^/Fk-j>^

powers of the natural num-

bers obey

5 ( "" i r J ( P - 1 ) ( n + J ) P = '
3=o

a development similar to the above leads to

(2.3)

(n + k)*-

e l )

2^
<-'(:)(;)(-)
j=o

(n + if

1966]

SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES

277

a result parallel to (2.2)

3.

EXTENSION TO SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES

We now generalize the result of Section 2.

Consider the second-order

linear recurrence relation

(3.1)

yn+2 =

Pyn+1

-qyn

(q * 0)

Let a and b be the roots of the auxiliary polynomial x2 - px + q of (3.1),

Let w

be any sequence satisfying (3,1)

(a - b) if a + b, and u

= na

and define u

by u

= (an-bn)/

if a = b s so that u

also satisfies (3.1).

fml
Following [ 4 ] , we define the u-generalized binomial coefficients I I
by
T
u u
* u
,,
i
r
n

m l = _m_m-i
rn^r+i
Tml =
rju
UiU 2 ---u r
|_0ju
Jarden [4] has shown that the product x of p sequences each obeying (3.1)
satisfies the (p + 1)

order recurrence relation

p+i

(3.2)

^TVl)^" 1 )/ 2

p+1
J

J=o

If all of these sequences are w ,

^-3=

then it follows that x

= w p obeys (3.2).

It is our aim to give the corresponding generalization of (1.1) for the

sequence
w ; that i s , to show there exists coefficients a.(k,p,u) = a.(k) such
le
that

(3 3)

'

^ + k = I ] a 3 ( k ) w Jn+j
j=o

and to give an explicit form for the a.(k)e

V W ) = K+r+sl

Carlitz [ 1 , Section 3 ] proved that

<r's = O.L.P)

278

A POWER IDENTITY FOR

[Oct.

is nonzero, showing that the p + 1 sequences

are linearly independent

Reasoning as before, we see these sequences span

the space of solutions of (3.2), so that the expansion (3.3) indeed exists.
ting k = 0 , l , - * * , p in (3.3) gives a.(k) = 6.,

for 0 < j , k < p.

Put-

It also fol-

lows as before that the sequence

satisfies (3.2). Now consider

b.(k.p.u) = b.(k) = u, u, / u , /u,- .(u.u. / u 1 u_1 1 *-*u. )
J
J
k k-i
k-p' k-f j j-i
I
j~p'

for j = 0 , l , . . - , p - l , bp(k) = [^ , along with the convention u0 /u 0 = 1

Then bj(k) = 6.-. for 0 < j , k < p. Also{b-.(k)}, obeys (3.2) because it
is the product of p sequences each of which obeys (3.1). Since {a.(k)V?
th
3
^~
and {b-(k)}?
(j = 0,l,,p) obey the same (p + 1)
order recurrence
relation and agree in the first p + 1 values, we have a.(k) = b.(k). Now
ab = a, so that u^ = (a" n - b ~ n ) / ( a - b) = - q n u . Then

~l

j-p

p-j

and thus for j = 0 , 1 , ,p - 1 we see

(3.4)
a (k) =

( .i)P-J q (P-J)(P-J

+1

/ U, U,

)/2 /
\

U,

k k-i
Vp-l'

= (-l)P"jq(p"j)(p~3+l)/2
.PJuu.

,J V /

U U

UJ

\ / U,

k-p+i W
pp-i
* . ]/
" U l ' V ( u j- * * u i>< u p-j-'' ul> /1
(u,
/u, .)
v
k-p k - j '

k-p\
u
k-j /

,
'

which is also valid for j = p using the convention u0 /u 0 = 1. Therefore (3.3)

becomes
p
35

<->

.-ki

( 1)P

n+k=Z -

1
J ,<p-i)(p-J+ )/*" '
LPJ

(u,
/u, .) w ,.
v
k - p / k - j ' n+j
u

1966

SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES

279

Carlitz has communicated and proved a further extension of this result.

Let
(P)
n
where the a.

(3.6)

n+aj n+a2

n+a r

are arbitrary but fixed nonnega,tive integers.

-r n + k ^ E ^

P-Jq(P-J)(P-J + 1)/2

Then we have

1(u.

;
k-p /u.k - j.)x
n+j

9,

3=o

where u0 /u 0 still applies. We note that putting aA = a2 = e = a

=0

re-

duces (3.6) to (3.5).

To prove (3.6) using previous techniques requires us to show that the
sequences

{?'}{;}..{"&}
are linearly independent.

To avoid this, we establish (3.6) by induction on k.

Now (3.6) is true for k = 0 and all n. Assume it is true for some k ^ 0 and
all ns and replace n by n + 1 ,

5>

x(p)
xi+k+i

u j=o
p
J

giving

1 > : P-j (P-J)(P-J+0/2

k-p X(P)

1)P P-J+UP-J+I)(P-J
j+lq

X> ~

+2

n+j+1

Vj
)/ 2

1-1

UJ=1

X(P) +
J

k-i+i
J

It follows from (3.2) that

p+i
K(P)

n+p+i

( 1)jq3(j 1)/2

"S "

"

p + 1

P-L(P-J)(P-J )/
J^o

n+p+i-j

j
+1

X(P)

u
p+1
3

n+j
-u

,( P )
n+p+i

280

[Oct

A POWER IDENTITY FOR

Thus

1 k

(P)
x
n+k-H

1)P-jq(P-j)(P"j+l)/

JP)

3 k-j+i

3 -1

-*U j=0

p+i k-j+i

k-p 3

Since

qP 3+lu

ViVj+i -

"

k-p u j

ViVj+i

'

we have

Z ( - 1)P " 3q

JP)

P-L(P-j)(P-J+i)/2

n+k+i - u,k+il

P
( 1) P~J q (P~J)(P-J+

u.u, . , ,
3 k-j+i

J - 1

u j=o

k + 1i

JVitL x (p)

)/ 2 P

u.

u.k-p+i
Vj+i

n+jJ

(p)
n+j

J . i=0

completing the induction step and the proof e

4.

SPECIAL CASES

In this section we r e d u c e (3.5) to a g e n e r a l Fibonacci p o w e r Identity and

to an identity involving p o w e r s of t e r m s of an a r i t h m e t i c p r o g r e s s i o n .
if we l e t
s 4 0,

, , u = F , where r
n
ns+r'
n
ns'
then both w and u
satisfy

(4.1)

= F

vr

n+2'

- L yJ
+ (-1) v
s n+i

= 0 .

The r o o t s of the a u x i l i a r y polynomial of (4.1) a r e distinct for

w

and u

satisfy the conditions of the p r e v i o u s section,,

g e n e r a l i z e d binomial coefficients
Fml
coefficients
,
defined by

s ==
f 09

Ju

s o that

In this c a s e the u -

b e c o m e the s - g e n e r a l i z e d
L

First

and s a r e fixed i n t efog e r s with

Fibonacci

1966]

281

SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES

F

F
1
ins (m-i)s
(m-t+i)s (t > 0) ;
e
F F
F
ts t s - s
s

= 1

A recurrence relation for these coefficients is given in [ 3 ] , Now here

q = <-l) S , SO ( . D P - J q ^ M P - ^ / 2

ei)(PJ)[s(P^lH]/2

Then (3.5) yields

p

ral)(P-J)[s(p-j-M)+2]/2

(4.3) F(n+k)s+r

F
F

.j J.

1=0

(k-p)s

(k-J)s

Fp

<n+s+r

Putting s = 1 and r = 0 gives equation (2,2).

On the other hand, if we let w = ns + r and u - n, where r and s
'
n
n
'
are fixed integers, then w and u obey
JV

J
n+2 - 2v
n-H + JVn

(4.4)

=0

Since the characteristic polynomial of (4.4) has the double root x = 1, both
w

and u

satisfy the conditions for the validity of (3.5). In this case we have

q = 1 and J , j = | , 1, the usual binomial coefficient.

(4.5) ([n + k]s + r)

pf

\p/\j/\k - j .

Then (3.5) becomes

(O + j]s + rf

This reduces to (2.3) by setting s = 1 and r = 0S

REFERENCES
1. L9 Carlitz, "Some Determinants Containing Powers of Fibonacci Numbers s?f
Fibonacci Quarterly, 4(1966), No, 2, pp 12 9 - 1 3 4 .
20 V. E0 Hoggatt, Jr a and A P 0 Hillman, "The Characteristic Polynomial
of the Generalized Shift Matrix/ 1 Fibonacci Quarterly, 3(1965), No 25
pp 91 94.

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A POWER IDENTITY FOR

SECOND-ORDER RECURRENT SEQUENCES

[Oct. 1966]

3. Problem H-72, Proposed by V. E. Hoggatt, J r . Fibonacci Quarterly,

3(1965), No. 4, pp 2 9 9 - 3 0 0 ,
4. D. Jarden, "Recurring Sequences, n Riveon Lematimatika, Jerusalem
(Israel), 1958, pp 4 2 - 4 5 .
5. Roseanna F. Torretto and J. Allen Fuchs, ? Generalized Binomial Coefficients ," F i b o n a c c i
2(1964), Noe 4, pp 2 9 6 - 3 0 2 .
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
The second-named author was supported in part by the Undergraduate
Research Participation Program at the University of Santa

Clara

through

NSF Grant GY-273,

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