Problems

What are the ratios \(\frac{F_2}{F_1}\), \(\frac{F_3}{F_2}\), and so on until \(\frac{F_7}{F_6}\)? What do you notice about them?

\(\varphi=\frac{1+\sqrt{5}}{2}\) is the golden ratio. Using the fact that \(\varphi^2=\varphi+1\), can you express \(\varphi^3\) in the form \(a\varphi+b\), where \(a\) and \(b\) are positive integers?

Among the first \(20\) Fibonacci numbers: \(F_0 = 0,F_1 = 1,F_2 = 1, F_3 = 2, F_4 = 3,..., F_{20} = 6765\) find all numbers whose digit-sum is equal to their index. For example, \(F_1=1\) fits the description, but \(F_{20} = 6765\) does not, since \(6+7+6+5 \neq 20\).

Among the first \(20\) Fibonacci numbers: \(F_0 = 0,F_1 = 1,F_2 = 1, F_3 = 2, F_4 = 3,..., F_{20} = 6765\) check whether the numbers with prime index are prime. The index is another name for a number’s place in the sequence.

Consider Pascal’s triangle: it starts with \(1\), then each entry in the triangle is the sum of the two numbers above it. Prove that the diagonals of Pascal’s triangle add up to Fibonacci numbers.

Prove for any integers \(m,n\ge0\) that \(F_{m+n} = F_{m-1}F_n + F_mF_{n+1}\).
Corollary: if \(k\mid n\), then \(F_k\mid F_n\). This can be proven by induction if we write \(n=sk\) for a natural \(s\), then \[F_{k+(s-1)k} = F_{k-1}F_{(s-1)k} + F_kF_{(s-1)k+1}.\]

Let \(m\) and \(n\) be positive integers. What positive integers can be written as \(m+n+\gcd(m,n)+\text{lcm}(m,n)\), for some \(m\) and \(n\)?

Denote by \(\gcd(m,n)\) the greatest common divisor of numbers \(m,n\), namely the largest possible \(d\) which divides both \(n\) and \(m\). Prove for any \(m,n\) that \[\gcd(F_n,F_m) = F_{\gcd(m,n)}.\]

Let \(n\ge r\) be positive integers. What is \(F_n^2-F_{n-r}F_{n+r}\) in terms of \(F_r\)?

On the questioners’ planet (where everyone can only ask questions. Cricks can only ask questions to which the answer is yes, and Goops can only ask questions to which the answer is no), you meet 4 alien mathematicians.

They’re called Alexander Grothendieck, Bernhard Riemann, Claire Voisin and Daniel Kan (you may like to shorten their names to \(A\), \(B\), \(C\) and \(D\)).
Alexander asks the following question “Am I the kind who could ask whether Bernhard could ask whether Claire could ask whether Daniel is a Goop?"

Amongst the final three (that is, Bernhard, Claire and Daniel), are there an even or an odd number of Goops?