Talk:Aliquot sum

Mistake in A003023?

Is the aliquot sum not meant to reach 1 in a certain number of steps? Then, A003023 should be "number of aliquot sum steps, to reach 1, or -1, if 1 is never reached".

0, 1, 1, 2, 1, -1, 1, 2, 3, 3, 1, 6, 1, 4, 4, 5, 1, 3, 1, 6, 2, 5, 1, 4, -1, 6, 2, -1, 1, 14, ... 2A00:6020:A123:8B00:B96B:212A:63B2:978E (talk) 19:14, 2 May 2024 (UTC)

You have a point, however Wikipedia isn't the place to debate an OEIS sequence. The sequence, as defined, is correct. However, you can argue that you can't differentiate a prime number from a perfect number just looking at this sequence. You can however look at sequence A098007 in conjunction with A003023 and differentiate the 2 cases. You could also create an account at OEIS, and create your own sequence where you use positive number when the aliquot sum sequence ends in 1, and negative number when it ends in perfect numbers, and zero when it's already 1 or the sequence length is unknown.... You can also edit that sequence, suggesting a title that might be clearer for cases of ending in a perfect number. Good luck. Dhrm77 (talk) 20:17, 2 May 2024 (UTC)