Talk:Lucas sequence

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[edit] Condition on P and Q

To clear up any confusion - the correct condition on P and Q is

as given by Paulo Ribenboim in My Numbers, My Friends. MathWorld incorrectly has the condition

P² − 4Q > 0

but all the relations work equally well if P²-4Q is negative. Gandalf61 08:41, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Clarification of opening

Lucas sequences were first studied by French mathematician Edouard Lucas.

Is this really true? In general, the sequences of convergents in simple continued fraction expansions of quadratic surds contain embedded Lucas sequences. I understand that Lucas generalized the notion, and wrote quite a few papers about his generalized sequences. But Joseph Louis Lagrange (d. 1813) solved the general problem posed by Pell's equation, and Euler studied the convergents of continued fractions long before Lagrange did, so I think this sentence is stretching the truth, at a minimum. DavidCBryant 23:09, 9 December 2006 (UTC)

Changed "first studied by" to "named after". Gandalf61 12:21, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Thanks! Say, I noticed one other thing. Some of the equations in this article appear in a big font, and others are much smaller. (I'm talking about separate lines produced by a pair of <math></math> tags.) Is that intentional? Would it be OK if I fix them to all display in the larger font? DavidCBryant 14:09, 10 December 2006 (UTC)

Not intentional AFAIK, so feel free to fix ! Gandalf61 17:32, 10 December 2006 (UTC)