Period-equality conjecture for nim-sequences and zero-position sequences

From papers

Let GG be a subtraction game, let G(n)\mathcal{G}(n) denote the nim-value of a pile of size nn, and define the zero-position indicator sequence V(n)\mathcal{V}(n) by

V(n)={0,if G(n)=0;1,otherwise.\mathcal{V}(n)= \begin{cases} 0,&\text{if }\mathcal{G}(n)=0;\\ 1,&\text{otherwise}. \end{cases}

Period-equality conjecture. For every subtraction game, the sequences {G(n)}\{\mathcal{G}(n)\} and {V(n)}\{\mathcal{V}(n)\} have the same period pp. Since subtraction-game nim-sequences are periodic, the indicator sequence is periodic as well; the conjecture asserts that passing to zero versus nonzero nim-values does not reduce the period. Its general status is open.

Progress summary

Nothing recorded yet. Refresh searches the literature and the public web for attempts on this problem, and writes the first summary here.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Nhan Bao Ho, “On the expansion of three-element subtraction sets”, arXiv:1202.2986 (2014).

Solutions 0

No solutions have been posted yet.