This self-contained text presents state-of-the-art results on recurrent sequences and their applications in algebra, number theory, geometry of the complex plane and discrete mathematics. It is designed to appeal to a wide readership, ranging from scholars and academics, to undergraduate students, or advanced high school and college students training for competitions. The content of the book is very recent, and focuses on areas where significant research is currently taking place. Among the new approaches promoted in this book, the authors highlight the visualization of some recurrences in the complex plane, the concurrent use of algebraic, arithmetic, and trigonometric perspectives on classical number sequences, and links to many applications. It contains techniques which are fundamental in other areas of math and encourages further research on the topic. The introductory chapters only require good understanding of college algebra, complex numbers, analysis and basic combinatorics.For Chapters 3, 4 and 6 the prerequisites include number theory, linear algebra and complex analysis.

The first part of the book presents key theoretical elements required for a good understanding of the topic. The exposition moves on to to fundamental results and key examples of recurrences and their properties. The geometry of linear recurrences in the complex plane is presented in detail through numerous diagrams, which lead to often unexpected connections to combinatorics, number theory, integer sequences, and random number generation. The second part of the book presents a collection of 123 problems with full solutions, illustrating the wide range of topics where recurrent sequences can be found. This material is ideal for consolidating the theoretical knowledge and for preparing students for Olympiads.

Appropriate for math olympiad competitors; Contains challenging problems and solutions Teaches techniques and facts that are central to mathematics Presents a diverse range of state-of-the-art topics and developments Illustrates unexpected connections between various mathematical topics Results are supported by numerous illustrations

Autorentext

Titu Andreescu received his Ph.D. from the West University of Timisoara, Romania. The topic of his dissertation was "Research on Diophantine Analysis and Applications." Professor Andreescu currently teaches at The University of Texas at Dallas. He is past chairman of the USA Mathematical Olympiad, served as director of the MAA American Mathematics Competitions (1998-2003), coach of the USA International Mathematical Olympiad Team (IMO) for 10 years (1993-2002), director of the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program (1995-2002), and leader of the USA IMO Team (1995-2002). In 2002 Titu was elected member of the IMO Advisory Board, the governing body of the world's most prestigious mathematics competition. Titu co-founded in 2006 and continues as director of the AwesomeMath Summer Program (AMSP). He received the Edyth May Sliffe Award for Distinguished High School Mathematics Teaching from the MAA in 1994 and a "Certificate of Appreciation" from the president of the MAA in 1995 for his outstanding service as coach of the Mathematical Olympiad Summer Program in preparing the US team for its perfect performance in Hong Kong at the 1994 IMO. Titu's contributions to numerous textbooks and problem books are recognized worldwide. Dorin Andrica received his Ph.D in 1992 from "Babes -Bolyai" University in Cluj-Napoca, Romania; his thesis treated critical points and applications to the geometry of differentiable submanifolds. Professor Andrica has been chairman of the Department of Geometry at "Babes -Bolyai" since 1995. He has written and contributed to numerous mathematics textbooks, problem books, articles and scientific papers at various levels. He is an invited lecturer at university conferences around the world: Austria, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Turkey, and the USA. Dorin is a member of the Romanian Committee for the Mathematics Olympiad and is a member onthe editorial boards of several international journals. Also, he is well known for his conjecture about consecutive primes called "Andrica's Conjecture." He has been a regular faculty member at the Canada-USA Mathcamps between 2001-2005 and at the AwesomeMath Summer Program (AMSP) since 2006.

Inhalt

1. Introduction to Recurrence Relations.- 2. Basic Recurrent Sequences.- 3. Arithmetic and Trigonometric Properties of Some Classical Recurrent Sequences.- 4. Generated Functions.- 5. More Second Order Linear Recurrent Sequences.- 6. Higher Order Linear Recurrent Sequences.- 7. Recurrences in Olympiad Training.- 8. Solutions to Proposed Problems.- Appendix A. Complex Geometry anhd Number Theory.- Appendix B.- References.- Index.