Journal of Integer Sequences, Vol. 21 (2018), Article 18.4.6

The Star of David and Other Patterns in Hosoya Polynomial Triangles


Rigoberto Flórez
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
The Citadel
Charleston, SC 29409
USA

Robinson A. Higuita
Instituto de Matemáticas
Universidad de Antioquia Medellín
Colombia

Antara Mukherjee
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
The Citadel
Charleston, SC 29409
USA

Abstract:

We define two types of second-order polynomial sequences. A sequence is of Fibonacci-type (Lucas-type) if its Binet formula is similar in structure to the Binet formula for the Fibonacci (Lucas) numbers. Familiar examples are Fibonacci polynomials, Chebyshev polynomials, Morgan-Voyce polynomials, Lucas polynomials, Pell polynomials, Fermat polynomials, Jacobsthal polynomials, Vieta polynomials and other known sequences of polynomials.

We generalize the numerical recurrence relation given by Hosoya to polynomials by constructing a Hosoya triangle for polynomials where each entry is either a product of two polynomials of Fibonacci-type or a product of two polynomials of Lucas-type. For every such choice of polynomial sequence we obtain a triangular array of polynomials. In this paper we extend the star of David property, also called the Hoggatt-Hansell identity, to these types of triangles. In addition, we study other geometric patterns in these triangles and as a consequence we obtain geometric interpretations for the Cassini identity, the Catalan identity, and other identities for Fibonacci polynomials.


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(Concerned with sequences A001511 A007814 A058071 A141678 A143088 A168570 A284115 A284126 A284127 A284128 A284129 A284130 A284131 A284413.)


Received May 31 2017; revised versions received March 5 2018; March 20 2018; April 15 2018. Published in Journal of Integer Sequences, May 8 2018.


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