RESEARCH / Focused target
The antepenultimate-label count in OEIS A270236
RELEASED FOUNDATIONS / PROPOSED CONNECTION
Research connections
All source anchors (1)
- Label Occurrences in Restricted-Growth WordsReleased anchor
Problem
The question
OEIS A270236, NAME (verbatim):
Triangle T(n,p) read by rows: the number of occurrences of p in the restricted growth functions of length n.
COMMENT defining the restricted growth functions (verbatim):
The RG functions used here are defined by f(1)=1, f(j) <= 1+max_{i<j} f(i).
FORMULA (verbatim; R. J. Mathar, Mar 13 2016):
Conjecture: T(n+1,n-1) = 2+n*(n+1)(3n^2-5*n+26)/24 for n>1.
Revision #22 records that Alois P. Heinz corrected the left index from
T(n,n-2) to the current T(n+1,n-1) on Mar 18 2016.
Motivation
Our foothold
This is one of two independent formulas recorded as conjectures in the same
OEIS entry. The target is the complete unbounded identity for every natural
number n > 1, including the corrected left index and the entry's exact
natural-number quotient.
Gap
Missing bridges
The preregistration records a dated search on 2026-09-13: all 43 OEIS
revisions, arXiv API query all:A270236 (0 hits), MathOverflow API (0 hits),
GitHub repository search (0 hits), pinned Mathlib, and 17 OEIS reverse
references were checked. Exact searches on Crossref, Semantic Scholar, and
Google Scholar also returned 0 hits. GitHub code search returned HTTP 401 and
OpenAlex returned HTTP 429, so those two surfaces were not verified. A proof
was not found in the checked surfaces; this is not an exhaustive
nonexistence or priority claim.
Route
Proposed approach
IsRestrictedGrowth states the chronological source condition, including the
positive-label bound, and mem_words_iff identifies words n with its
length-n solutions after reversing the generator's storage order.
For the deficit parameter k, card_two_repeat_words k counts the
two-repeat layer as C(k+2,3) + 3*C(k+2,4); in the source index this becomes
C(n,3) + 3*C(n,4). The weighted label-extension identity
secondLabelFiber separates the top, one-repeat, and two-repeat maximum
layers and yields a recurrence for T(n+1,n-1). Substituting mathar_f1,
using the choose recurrences, and normalizing the numerator by 24 gives
2 + n*(n+1)*(3*n^2-5*n+26)/24.
Falsifier
What would falsify this route
A natural number n > 1 for which the sum of occurrences differs from
2 + n*(n+1)*(3*n^2-5*n+26)/24 would refute the assertion. A mismatch
between the recursive word model and the quoted restricted-growth condition,
or a failure to preserve the corrected index, would invalidate the claimed
identification with OEIS A270236.
Evidence
Evidence to collect
- Lean module:
D5/S1/Recurrence/Invariants/RestrictedGrowthLabelOccurrences.lean. - Source predicate:
IsRestrictedGrowth. - Source bridge:
mem_words_iff. - Main theorem:
mathar_f2. - Companion theorem:
mathar_f1proves the entry's first conjecture and is used in the second proof. - The canonical Lean report gives the std3 axioms
propext,Classical.choice, andQuot.soundfor both theorems. - Full restricted-growth enumeration by the orchestrator checked F1 through
n = 9with values3, 5, 8, 12, 17, 23, 30, 38, and F2 throughn = 8with values9, 21, 47, 97, 184, 324, 536. - The proof probe independently checked F1 through
n = 10and F2 throughn = 9; the search seat's block-deficit classification had no mismatch throughn = 10000. These finite checks support but do not replace the universal Lean proofs.
Triage
Scope assessment
theorem. The formal theorem proves the full corrected
antepenultimate-label formula for every natural n > 1.
ASSUMED-UNVERIFIED
Unverified assumptions
The OEIS quotations, revision dates, literature-search readings, and finite
enumeration readings are supplied by issue #7365 and were not independently
repeated in this stage. The kernel theorem mem_words_iff identifies words n
with the length-n restricted growth functions of the quoted COMMENT, using
reverse storage; no exhaustive literature or priority claim follows.