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Ulam numbers
A plot of the Ulam numbers up to 1082, arranged line by line in a square 108×108. The plot evidentiates the peaks in their density that occur with a frequency roughly equal to 108/5=21.6.
The Ulam sequence is defined by  $U_1=1$,  $U_2=2$  and, for  $k>2$,  $U_k$  is the smallest integer that can be written in exactly one way as  $U_i+U_j,$  with  $i<j<k$.

The members of the Ulam sequence are called Ulam numbers.

For example, after the first 4 terms which are trivially 1, 2, 3 and 4, the value of  $U_5$  cannot be 5, since  $5=U_1+U_4=U_2+U_3,$  but it is 6, which can be obtained only as  $U_2+U_4$  (not as  $U_3+U_3$  because the terms added must be distinct).

The sequence is infinite because  $U_{n-1}+U_{n-2}$  is always a viable candidate for  $U_n$.

Ulam numbers are not distributed uniformly, but their density has peaks at an average distance of 21.6 (see picture above).

The first Ulam numbers are 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11, 13, 16, 18, 26, 28, 36, 38, 47, 48, 53, 57, 62, 69, 72, 77, 82, 87, 97, 99, 102 more terms

Below, the spiral pattern of Ulam numbers up to  $250^2$  . See the page on prime numbers for an explanation and links to similar pictures.

spiral pattern of Ulam numbers

Ulam numbers can also be... (you may click on names or numbers and on + to get more values)

a-pointer 11 13 2633 + 9902293 ABA 18 72 324 + 9990450 aban 11 13 16 + 10000241 abundant 18 36 48 + 10000236 Achilles 72 800 864 + 9980928 admirable 102 114 138 + 9999762 alternating 16 18 36 + 9898545 amenable 13 16 28 + 10000241 amicable 5020 308620 399592 + 6377175 apocalyptic 243 382 390 + 29987 arithmetic 11 13 38 + 9999999 astonishing 429 3591 balanced p. 53 607 1103 + 9992681 bemirp 168601 1606081 betrothed 48 1648 16587 + 3123735 binomial 28 36 126 + 9956953 brilliant 209 221 253 + 10000153 c.decagonal 11 451 781 + 9947551 c.heptagonal 106 148 197 + 9919603 c.nonagonal 28 253 820 + 9956953 c.octagonal 441 2809 3481 + 9690769 c.pentagonal 16 106 456 + 9935106 c.square 13 145 221 + 9790313 c.triangular 316 409 1489 + 9934354 cake 26 5489 27776 + 9886826 Carmichael 41041 101101 294409 + 6733693 Carol 47 Catalan 429 Chen 11 13 47 + 9999161 congruent 13 28 38 + 9999999 constructible 16 48 102 + 8421376 cube 19683 97336 175616 + 8000000 Cunningham 26 28 48 + 9999999 Curzon 18 26 53 + 10000214 cyclic 11 13 47 + 9999977 D-number 57 69 87 + 7042683 d-powerful 175 209 370 + 9998724 de Polignac 905 1985 2789 + 10000109 decagonal 126 175 370 + 9729720 deceptive 451 4187 7471 + 9895217 deficient 11 13 16 + 9999999 dig.balanced 11 38 99 + 10000241 double fact. 48 46080 droll 72 800 5184 + 9461760 Duffinian 16 36 57 + 9999977 eban 36 62 2032 + 6066046 economical 11 13 16 + 10000241 emirp 13 97 739 + 9999337 emirpimes 26 62 155 + 10000153 enlightened 25000 119911 2500000 5117695 equidigital 11 13 16 + 10000241 eRAP 4233 61456 71284 + 9695764 esthetic 87 434 456 + 8787898 Eulerian 11 26 57 + 2097130 evil 18 36 48 + 10000241 factorial 720 fibodiv 28 47 497 + 2472712 Fibonacci 13 2584 514229 Friedman 126 688 1296 + 997246 frugal 243 1536 1792 + 9998677 gapful 180 253 260 + 10000214 good prime 11 53 97 + 9992681 happy 13 28 82 + 9999760 harmonic 28 8128 18620 360360 Harshad 18 36 48 + 10000236 heptagonal 18 148 189 + 9927133 hex 1387 9577 9919 + 9975457 hexagonal 28 861 1035 + 9827961 highly composite 36 48 180 + 7207200 hoax 319 382 456 + 9997800 Hogben 13 57 241 + 9894171 Honaker 131 1433 4153 + 9973021 house 155 434 4390 + 8841922 hungry 161449 712201 hyperperfect 28 8128 51301 + 4013833 iban 11 47 72 + 777722 iccanobiF 13 792517 idoneal 13 16 18 + 273 impolite 16 8192 inconsummate 62 431 441 + 999980 interprime 18 26 69 + 9999283 Jacobsthal 11 341 87381 699051 Jordan-Polya 16 36 48 + 8294400 junction 206 309 319 + 10000041 Kaprekar 99 142857 187110 + 9999999 katadrome 53 62 72 + 9876532 Lehmer 451 949 1387 + 9935131 Leyland 57 145 177 2012174 lonely 53 1340 15705 + 1357265 Lucas 11 18 47 + 1149851 lucky 13 69 87 + 9999823 Lynch-Bell 36 48 126 + 9283176 m-pointer 15121 19121 1111211 1111213 magic 175 260 2056 + 8889921 magnanimous 11 16 38 + 7719370 metadrome 13 16 18 + 1234578 modest 13 26 69 + 10000239 Moran 18 114 209 + 10000236 narcissistic 370 9800817 nialpdrome 11 53 62 + 9999999 nonagonal 2484 2674 9699 + 9968484 nude 11 36 48 + 9999999 O'Halloran 36 260 oban 11 13 16 + 986 octagonal 341 3605 5208 + 9792133 odious 11 13 16 + 10000175 Ormiston 19031 34613 56731 + 9961613 palindromic 11 77 99 + 9999999 palprime 11 131 10501 + 9871789 pancake 11 16 106 + 9961417 panconsummate 11 18 36 + 219 pandigital 11 99 114 + 9998037 partition 11 77 627 + 2012558 pentagonal 145 1335 3290 + 9721901 perfect 28 8128 pernicious 11 13 18 + 9999977 Perrin 209 6107 236282 Pierpont 13 97 10369 + 1990657 plaindrome 11 13 16 + 9999999 Poulet 341 1387 14491 + 9774181 power 16 36 243 + 9796900 powerful 16 36 72 + 9980928 practical 16 18 28 + 9999960 prim.abundant 18 102 114 + 9999762 prime 11 13 47 + 9999877 primeval 13 1037 1079 pronic 72 182 1406 + 9969806 Proth 13 57 97 + 9936897 pseudoperfect 18 28 36 + 1000000 repdigit 11 77 99 + 9999999 repfigit 28 47 197 + 925993 repunit 13 57 241 + 9894171 Rhonda 178754 194526 521356 + 9541116 Ruth-Aaron 16 77 126 + 9790430 Saint-Exupery 7500 14760 65520 + 9903180 Sastry 2975208 self 53 97 209 + 10000109 semiprime 26 38 57 + 10000241 sliding 11 502 5020 + 6415625 Smith 319 382 483 + 9997341 Sophie Germain 11 53 131 + 9991259 sphenic 102 114 138 + 10000239 square 16 36 324 + 9796900 star 13 253 11881 + 9639337 straight-line 258 456 864 + 9999999 strobogrammatic 11 69 986 + 9891686 strong prime 11 97 197 + 9999877 super Niven 36 48 102 + 9306000 super-d 69 106 131 + 9999569 superabundant 36 48 180 + 7207200 tau 18 36 72 + 10000236 taxicab 46683 195841 1734264 + 8587000 tetrahedral 14190 19600 50116 + 9660036 triangular 28 36 253 + 9956953 tribonacci 13 927 5768 trimorphic 99 624 751 + 9999999 truncatable prime 13 47 53 + 9966883 twin 11 13 197 + 9999161 uban 11 13 16 + 10000087 undulating 131 282 363 + 8282828 unprimeable 206 324 624 + 9999960 untouchable 206 238 324 + 999836 upside-down 28 82 258 + 9945611 vampire 126027 135837 146952 + 362992 wasteful 18 26 28 + 9999999 weak prime 13 47 131 + 9999481 weird 7192 16030 19810 + 992332 Wieferich 52665 94797 473985 Woodall 1023 49151 93749 + 9961471 Zeisel 294409 Zuckerman 11 36 175 + 9123192 Zumkeller 28 48 102 + 99774 zygodrome 11 77 99 + 9999999