On the existence of numbers with matching continued fraction and base \(b\) expansions
This paper deals with certain sets which elements express some relationships between continued fraction expansions \([0; a_1, a_2, \dots, a_n, \dots ]\) and classical \(b\)-ary expansions (i.e., the base-\(b\) representations \((0. i_1i_2\dots i_n \dots )_b\)), where \(b>1\) is a positive integer. The authors note that \textit{M. Trott} [Math. J. 10, No. 2, 303--322 (2006)] introduced a question about the existence of a sequence \((a_k)\) for which the condition \[ [0; a_1, a_2, \dots, a_k, \dots ]=(0. a_1a_2\dots a_k \dots )_b \] holds. ``Trott gave, without proof, the number \[ x = [0; 1, 0, 8, 4, 1, 0, 1, 5, 1, 2, 2 ... ] = 0.10841015122 ...." \] This number is called \textit{Trott's constant}. The authors extend this notion and Trott's original question, as well as ``ask for solutions without the digit zero, but instead allowing multi-digit partial quotients''. So, suppose \(1<b\in \mathbb N\); then a number \(x\) is a Trott number in base \(b\) whenever \(x\) has an infinite continued fraction expansion with the condition \[ x = [0; a_1, a_2, a_3,... ] = (0.\hat a_1 \hat a_2 \hat a_3 \dots )_b, \] where \(\hat a_k\) is the string of digits resulting from writing \(a_k\) in base \(b\). Let \(T_b\) be the set of all Trott numbers in base \(b\). It is proven that ``there exists a Trott number in base \(b\) if and only if \[ b \in \Gamma:= = \{3\} \cup \bigcup^{\infty} _{k=1}{\{k^2 + 1, k^2 + 2,\dots, k^2 + k\}}. \] Furthermore, if \(T_b\) is nonempty, then it is uncountable''. Also, it is shown that for \(b \in \Gamma\), the set \(T_b\) is a complete \(G_\delta\) set, as well as the set \[ T :=\bigcup_{b\ge 2}{T_b} \] ``is nowhere dense and has Hausdorff dimension less than one''. In addition, ``several sufficient conditions on bases \(b\) and \(b^{'}\) such that \(T_b \cap T_{b^{'}}= \emptyset\), and conjecture that this is the case for all \(b\ne b^{'}\)'', are given. `` This question has connections with some deep theorems in Diophantine approximation''.
scientific article; zbMATH DE number 7720073