The distribution of continued fraction approximations (Q798702): Difference between revisions

Let x be an irrational number and \(p_ n/q_ n\), \(n=1,2,..\). the sequence of convergents of its regular continued fraction expansion. Define \(\theta_ n(x):=q_ n| q_ nx-p_ n|\). It was conjectured by H. W. Lenstra, jun. that for almost all x the sequence \(\theta_ n\), \(n=1,2,..\). is distributed in the unit interval according to the density function \(f(\theta):=(\log 2)^{-1} \min (1,\theta^{- 1}-1).\) In this paper a probabilistic version of this conjecture is proved. Let \(\ell_ n(\theta) d\theta\) be the probability that \(\theta_ n(x)\) lies between \(\theta\) and \(\theta +d\theta\). Then \(\ell_ n(\theta)=f(\theta)+O(g^ n)\), \(n\to\infty \), with \(g=(\sqrt{5}-1)/2\). The proof of this depends upon the following lemma: \(\sum q_ n^{- 2}=(\log 2)^{-1}z+O(g^ n),\) \(n\to\infty \), where the summation is extended over all possible denominators \(q_ n\) of order n for which \(q_{n-1}<zq_ n\). This is proved in a direct and elegant way, using some formulae of Euler and Kuz'min's theorem with the sharp estimate \(c^ n\), \(c=0,303663...\), given by \textit{E. Wirsing} [Acta Arith. 24, 507-528 (1974; Zbl 0283.10032)]. The remainder term is \(g^ n\) because \(c^ 2<g.\) Lenstra's conjecture as stated at the beginning has in the mean time been proved by \textit{W. Bosma}, the reviewer and \textit{F. Wiedijk} [Indagationes Math. 45, 281-299 (1983; Zbl 0519.10043)], using ergodic methods.