On a conjecture of Dekking: the sum of digits of even numbers

DOI10.5802/JTNB.856MaRDI QIDQ2454441zbMATH OpenOpenAlexWikidataFDO

Authors Iurie Boreico, Daniel El-Baz, Thomas Stoll

Publication date 13 June 2014

Published in Journal de Théorie des Nombres de Bordeaux (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://arxiv.org/abs/1305.1017

zbMATH Keywords

Dekking's conjectureNewman phenomenonsum of digits

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Radix representation; digital problems (11A63) Normal numbers, radix expansions, Pisot numbers, Salem numbers, good lattice points, etc. (11K16)

Abstract: Let $qgeq2$ and denote by $s_q$ the sum-of-digits function in base $q$. For $j=0,1,\mathrm{...},q-1$ consider ${\displaystyle }$# {0 le n < N : ;;s_q(2n) equiv j pmod q }.${\displaystyle }$ In 1983, F. M. Dekking conjectured that this quantity is greater than $N/q$ and, respectively, less than $N/q$ for infinitely many $N$, thereby claiming an absence of a drift (or Newman) phenomenon. In this paper we prove his conjecture.

Review text

In the present paper the authors consider a conjecture of \textit{F. M. Dekking} [Sémin. Théor. Nombres, Univ. Bordeaux I 1982--1983, Exp. No. 32, 12 p. (1983; Zbl 0529.10047)] involving the sum of digits function of even numbers. The used methods are discrete Fourier analysis and generating functions. Let \(q\geq2\) an integer and \(s_q\) the sum of digits function in base \(q\). Then for fixed integers \(q\), \(d\), \(m\geq2\) and \(a\) and \(j\) the authors consider the error term \(g(N)\) in \[ \#\{0\leq n\leq N: n\equiv a\bmod d, s_q(n)\equiv j\bmod m\} =\frac{N}{dm}+g(N). \] In particular, Dekking conjectured the following drifting (or Newman-type) phenomenon: for \[ (q,a,d,j,m)\equiv(q,0,2,j,q) \] we have that \(g(N)<0\) and \(g(N)>0\) infinitely often. In the present paper the authors consider the more general case \[ (q,a,d,j,m)\equiv(q,a,d,j,q). \] Then they show that if \(d\mid q\) then \(g(N)=\mathcal{O}(1)\) and \(g(N)\) changes its sign infinitely often and if \(d\mid q-1\) then \(g(N)\) can take arbitrarily large positive as well as arbitrarily large negative values as \(N\to\infty\). For \(d=2\) this proves Dekking's conjecture and covers all bases \(q\geq2\).

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Cited in

(6)

• The existence of \(n\)-flimsy numbers in a given base
• The sum-of-digits function on arithmetic progressions
• Moser-Newman phenomenon for square-free numbers
• On irregularities of distribution of weighted sums-of-digits
• Rarefied Thue-Morse sums via automata theory and logic
• Generalized Newman phenomena and digit conjectures on primes

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