Golomb's self-described sequence and functional differential equations (Q1129757)

A sequence (word) \(W\) of positive integers is self-described or self-generating if \(\tau (W) =W\), where \(\tau (W)\) is the sequence consisting of the numbers of consecutive equal entries of \(W\). In this paper we consider Golomb's sequence, which is the only nondecreasing self-generating sequence taking all positive integral values, \[ \underbrace {1,}_{1,} \underbrace {2,2,}_{2,} \underbrace {3,3,}_{2,} \underbrace {4,4,4,}_{3,} \underbrace {5,5,5,}_{3,} \underbrace {6,6,6,6,}_{4,} \dots. \] Let \(\varphi\) denote the golden number. For \(F(n)\) denoting the \(n\)-th term in Golomb's sequence we prove that \[ F(n)= \varphi^{2-\varphi} n^{\varphi-1} +{n^{\varphi-1} \over \log n} h\left({\log \log n\over \log \varphi} \right)+ O\left({n^{ \varphi-1} \over \log^2n} \log\log n\right), \] where the real function \(h\) is continuous and satisfies \(h(x)= -h(x+1) (x\geq 0)\). The method of proof is intimately connected with the more general problem of characterising the solution \(E\) of an approximate functional integral equation of the type \[ E(t)= -\varphi^{1- \varphi} t^{\varphi-2} \int_2^{\varphi^{2- \varphi} t^{\varphi-1}} E(u)du +O\left({t^{\varphi-1} \over \log^2t} \right), \] which we discuss in the second part of the paper.