How to calculate $n$ in $f = p^n - q^n$?

Question

I have the formula:

$f(n) = \frac{p^n - q^n}{\sqrt 5}$

Assuming I know the value of $f(n)$, can I calculate $n$?

Sure, I can convert to $ \sqrt 5*f(n) = p^n - q^n$ . But after that I stuck...

---

edit 1

$p = \frac{1 + \sqrt 5}{2}$

$q = \frac{1 - \sqrt 5}{2}$

Answer 1

I don't think there is a general way of solving this exactly. You might be in luck with your specific values of $p$ and $q$, but i doubt it. Unless $f(n)$ is a Fibonacci number, I'd just go with approximations, numerical methods or online calculators like WolframAlpha for each specific value of $f(n)$.

Answer 2

I'll assume $n$ is an integer as otherwise I don't know how to interpret $q^n$. then $f(n)$ is also an integer, and because $|q|<1$ for large $n$ (in fact $n>1$) you have $$f(n)=\frac{p^n-q^n}{\sqrt{5}}=\left[\frac{p^n}{\sqrt{5}}\right],$$ where $[x]$ denotes the nearest integer to $x$. This shows that $$n\approx\log_p(\sqrt{5}f(n)).$$

Answer 3

Assume $f(n)$ is real. Then there will be no solutions for the problem, other than in the case where $n$ is integer which entails that $f(n)$ is a Fibonacci number.

Proof:

Observe $q = \frac{1 - \sqrt 5}{2} <0$. So $q^n = \left(\frac{\sqrt 5-1}{2}\right)^n \cdot e^{i \pi n}$ where the first factor is a positive real. Now the imaginary part of $e^{i \pi n}$ vanishes only for integer $n$. This leads to two cases:

(1) let $n$ not be an integer. Then $p^n$ is real and $q^n$ has a nonvanishing imaginary part, so for real $f(n)$, there is no solution to $f(n) = \frac{p^n - q^n}{\sqrt 5}$.

(2) let $n$ be integer. Then $f(n) = \frac{p^n - q^n}{\sqrt 5}$ is exactly Binet's formula for Fibonacci numbers, which are the only cases where there is a solution for real $f(n)$. Since for $n>1$, the Fibonacci series $f(n)$ is strictly monotonously increasing, $n$ is uniquely determined. Servaes's answer gives a nice clue to find $n\approx\log_p(\sqrt{5}f(n))$.

Answer 4

As @Andreas has pointed out, the function $f(n) = (\varphi^n - (-\varphi)^{-n})/\sqrt 5$ is not real-valued unless $n$ is an integer. So typically one would be interested in replacing $f(n)$ with its real part, which is well-defined and entire:

$$ g(x) = \Re f(x) = \frac{\varphi^x - \cos(\pi x)\varphi^{-x}}{\sqrt 5} $$

See also the discussion at previous Question Non integer Fibonacci numbers and its earlier linked Question Interpolated Fibonacci numbers - real or complex?

In any case $g(x)$ is real-valued for $x$ real and monotone increasing for $x\ge 2$, so solutions to $g(x) = k$ can be uniquely determined for $x\in[2,+\infty)$ for all integers $k\ge 1$. Although $g(x)$ is a transcendental function, it is analytic in the complex plane; Newton iterations will converge rapidly given reasonable initial estimates for root $x$.

In particular since the OP commented on Servaes' Answer, "$f(n)$ is always integer in my problem," the initial estimate given there will be adequate for large $k\gg 1$:

$$ x \approx \log_\varphi (k \sqrt 5) $$

For modest positive integers $k$ it might be worthwhile to identify whether $k$ is Fibonacci, and if not, to bracket $k$ with its nearest lower/upper Fibonacci numbers to interpolate an initial guess.