These are Hogben's central polygonal numbers denoted by

...2...

....P..

...4.n.

a(n) = 1 + 3 + 5 + ... + 2*n-1 + 2*n+1 + 2*n-1 + ... + 3 + 1. - Amarnath Murthy, May 28 2001

Numbers of the form (k^2+1)/2 for k odd.

(y(2x+1))^2 + (y(2x^2+2x))^2 = (y(2x^2+2x+1))^2. E.g., let y = 2, x = 1; (2(2+1))^2 + (2(2+2))^2 = (2(2+2+1))^2, (2(3))^2 + (2(4))^2 = (2(5))^2, 6^2 + 8^2 = 10^2, 36 + 64 = 100. - Glenn B. Cox (igloos_r_us(AT)canada.com), Apr 08 2002

a(n) is also the number of 3 X 3 magic squares with sum 3n. - Sharon Sela (sharonsela(AT)hotmail.com), May 11 2002

For n > 0, a(n) is the smallest k such that zeta(2) - Sum_{i=1..k} 1/i^2 <= zeta(3) - Sum_{i=1..n} 1/i^3. - Benoit Cloitre, May 17 2002

Number of convex polyominoes with a 2 X (n+1) minimal bounding rectangle.

The prime terms are given by A027862. - Lekraj Beedassy, Jul 09 2004

First difference of a(n) is 4n = A008586(n). Any entry k of the sequence is followed by k + 2*(1 + sqrt(2k - 1)). - Lekraj Beedassy, Jun 04 2006

Integers of the form 1 + x + x^2/2 (generating polynomial is Schur's polynomial as in A127876). - Artur Jasinski, Feb 04 2007

If X is an n-set and Y and Z disjoint 2-subsets of X then a(n-4) is equal to the number of 4-subsets of X intersecting both Y and Z. - Milan Janjic, Aug 26 2007

Row sums of triangle A132778. - Gary W. Adamson, Sep 02 2007

Binomial transform of [1, 4, 4, 0, 0, 0, ...]; = inverse binomial transform of A001788: (1, 6, 24, 80, 240, ...). - Gary W. Adamson, Sep 02 2007

Narayana transform (A001263) of [1, 4, 0, 0, 0, ...]. Equals A128064 (unsigned) * [1, 2, 3, ...]. - Gary W. Adamson, Dec 29 2007

n such that the Diophantine equation x^3 - y^3 = x*y + n has a solution with y = x-1. If that solution is (x,y) = (m+1,m) then m^2 + (m+1)^2 = n. Note that this Diophantine equation is an elliptic curve and (m+1,m) is an integer point on it. - James R. Buddenhagen, Aug 12 2008

Numbers n such that (n, n, 2*n-2) are the sides of an isosceles triangle with integer area. Also, n such that 2*n-1 is a square. - James R. Buddenhagen, Oct 17 2008

a(n) is also the least weight of self-conjugate partitions having n+1 different odd parts. - Augustine O. Munagi, Dec 18 2008

Prefaced with a "1": (1, 1, 5, 13, 25, 41, ...) = A153869 * (1, 2, 3, ...). - Gary W. Adamson, Jan 03 2009

Prefaced with a "1": (1, 1, 5, 13, 25, 41, ...) where a(n) = 2n*(n-1)+1, all tuples of square numbers (X-Y, X, X+Y) are produced by ((m*(a(n)-2n))^2, (m*a(n))^2, (m*(a(n)+2n-2)))^2) where m is a whole number. - Doug Bell, Feb 27 2009

Equals (1, 2, 3, ...) convolved with (1, 3, 4, 4, 4, ...). a(3) = 25 = (1, 2, 3, 4) dot (4, 4, 3, 1) = (4 + 8 + 9 + 4). - Gary W. Adamson, May 01 2009

The running sum of squares taken two at a time. - Al Hakanson (hawkuu(AT)gmail.com), May 18 2009

Equals the odd integers convolved with (1, 2, 2, 2, ...). - Gary W. Adamson, May 25 2009

Equals the triangular numbers convolved with [1, 2, 1, 0, 0, 0, ...]. - Gary W. Adamson & Alexander R. Povolotsky, May 29 2009

When the positive integers are written in a square array by diagonals as in A038722, a(n) gives the numbers appearing on the main diagonal. - Joshua Zucker, Jul 07 2009

The finite continued fraction [n,1,1,n] = (2n+1)/(2n^2 + 2n + 1) = (2n+1)/a(n); and the squares of the first two denominators of the convergents = a(n). E.g., the convergents and value of [4,1,1,4] = 1/4, 1/5, 2/9, 9/41 where 4^2 + 5^2 = 41. - Gary W. Adamson, Jul 15 2010

From Keith Tyler, Aug 10 2010: (Start)

Running sum of A008574.

Square open pyramidal number; that is, the number of elements in a square pyramid of height (n) with only surface and no bottom nodes. (End)

For k>0, x^4 + x^2 + k factors over the integers iff sqrt(k) is in this sequence. - James R. Buddenhagen, Aug 15 2010

Create the simple continued fraction from Pythagorean triples to get [2n + 1; 2n^2 + 2n,2n^2 + 2n + 1]; its value equals the rational number 2n +1 + a(n) / (4*n^4 + 8*n^3 + 6*n^2 + 2*n + 1). - J. M. Bergot, Sep 30 2011

a(n), n >= 1, has in its prime number factorization only primes of the form 4*k+1, i.e., congruent 1 (mod 4) (see A002144). This follows from the fact that a(n) is a primitive sum of two squares and odd. See Theorem 3.20, p. 164, in the given Niven-Zuckerman-Montgomery reference. E.g., a(3) = 25 = 5^2, a(6) = 85 = 5*17. - Wolfdieter Lang, Mar 08 2012

From Ant King, Jun 15 2012: (Start)

The limiting value of the partial sums of the reciprocals of the a(n) is Pi/2*tanh(Pi/2) = 1.4406595199775... = A228048.

a(n) is congruent to 1 (mod 4) for all n.

The digital roots of the a(n) form a purely periodic palindromic 9-cycle 1, 5, 4, 7, 5, 7, 4, 5, 1.

The units' digits of the a(n) form a purely periodic palindromic 5-cycle 1, 5, 3, 5, 1.

(End)

Number of integer solutions (x,y) of |x| + |y| <= n. Geometrically: number of lattice points inside a square with vertex (n,0), (0,-n), (-n,0), (0,n). - César Eliud Lozada, Sep 18 2012

(a(n)-1)/a(n) = 2*x / (1+x^2) where x = (n-1)/n. Note that in this form, this is the velocity-addition formula according to the special theory of relativity (two objects traveling at 1/n slower than c relative to each other appear to travel at 1/a(n) less than c to a stationary observer). - Christian N. K. Anderson, May 20 2013

A geometric curiosity: the envelope of the circles x^2 + (y-a(n)/2)^2 = ((2n+1)/2)^2 is the parabola y = x^2, the n=0 circle being the osculating circle at the parabola vertex. - Jean-François Alcover, Dec 02 2013

Draw n ellipses in the plane (n>0), any 2 meeting in 4 points; sequence gives number of internal regions into which the plane is divided (cf. A051890, A046092); a(n-1) = A051890(n) - 1 = A046092(n-1) - 2. - Jaroslav Krizek, Dec 27 2013

a(n) is also, of course, the scalar product of the 2-vector (n, n+1) (or (n+1, n)) with itself. The unique inverse of (n, n+1) as vector in the Clifford algebra over the Euclidean 2-space is (1/a(n))(0, n, n+1, 0) (similarly for the other vector). In general the unique inverse of such a nonzero vector v (odd element in Cl_2) is v^(-1) = (1/|v|^2) v. Note that the inverse with respect to the scalar product is not unique for any nonzero vector. See the P. Lounesto reference, sects. 1.7 - 1.12, pp. 7-14. See also the Oct 15 2014 comment in A147973. - Wolfdieter Lang, Nov 06 2014

Subsequence of A004431, for n >= 1. - Bob Selcoe, Mar 23 2016

Numbers n such that 2n - 1 is a perfect square. - Juri-Stepan Gerasimov, Apr 06 2016

The number of active (ON,black) cells in n-th stage of growth of two-dimensional cellular automaton defined by "Rule 574", based on the 5-celled von Neumann neighborhood. - Robert Price, May 13 2016

a(n) is the first integer in a sum of (2*n + 1)^2 consecutive integers that equals (2*n + 1)^4. - Patrick J. McNab, Dec 24 2016

Central elements of odd-length rows of the triangular array of positive integers. a(n) is the mean of the numbers in the (2*n + 1)-th row of this triangle. - David James Sycamore, Aug 01 2018