MathDB
Putnam 1964 A4

Source: Putnam 1964

March 5, 2022
Putnamrecurrence relationperiodic

Problem Statement

Let pnp_n be a bounded sequence of integers which satisfies the recursion pn=pn1+pn2+pn3pn4pn1pn2+pn3+pn4.p_n =\frac{p_{n-1} +p_{n-2} + p_{n-3}p _{n-4}}{p_{n-1} p_{n-2}+ p_{n-3} +p_{n-4}}. Show that the sequence eventually becomes periodic.