Editing Integer sequence (section)

{{short description|Ordered list of whole numbers}}
[[File:Goteborg ciag Fibonacciego.jpg|thumb|Beginning of the [[Fibonacci number|Fibonacci sequence]] on a building in [[Gothenburg]]]]
In [[mathematics]], an '''integer sequence''' is a [[sequence]] (i.e., an ordered list) of [[integer]]s.

An integer sequence may be specified ''explicitly'' by giving a formula for its ''n''th term, or ''implicitly'' by giving a relationship between its terms. For example, the sequence 0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13,&nbsp;... (the [[Fibonacci number|Fibonacci sequence]]) is formed by starting with 0 and 1 and then adding any two consecutive terms to obtain the next one: an implicit description {{OEIS|id=A000045}}. The sequence 0, 3, 8, 15,&nbsp;... is formed according to the formula ''n''<sup>2</sup>&nbsp;&minus;&nbsp;1 for the ''n''th term: an explicit definition.

Alternatively, an integer sequence may be defined by a property which members of the sequence possess and other integers do not possess. For example, we can determine whether a given integer is a [[perfect number]], {{OEIS|id=A000396}}, even though we do not have a formula for the ''n''th perfect number.