Perfect digit-to-digit invariant

In number theory, a perfect digit-to-digit invariant (PDDI; also known as a Munchausen number[1]) is a natural number in a given number base ${\displaystyle b}$ that is equal to the sum of its digits each raised to the power of itself. An example in base 10 is 3435, because ${\displaystyle 3435=3^{3}+4^{4}+3^{3}+5^{5}}$. The term "Munchausen number" was coined by Dutch mathematician and software engineer Daan van Berkel in 2009,[2] as this evokes the story of Baron Munchausen raising himself up by his own ponytail because each digit is raised to the power of itself.[3][4]

Definition

Let ${\displaystyle n}$ be a natural number which can be written in base ${\displaystyle b}$ as the k-digit number ${\displaystyle d_{k-1}d_{k-2}...d_{1}d_{0}}$ where each digit ${\displaystyle d_{i}}$ is between ${\displaystyle 0}$ and ${\displaystyle b-1}$ inclusive, and ${\displaystyle n=\sum _{i=0}^{k-1}d_{i}b^{i}}$. We define the function ${\displaystyle F_{b}:\mathbb {N} \rightarrow \mathbb {N} }$ as ${\displaystyle F_{b}(n)=\sum _{i=0}^{k-1}{d_{i}}^{d_{i}}}$. (As 0^0 is usually undefined, there are typically two conventions used, one where it is taken to be equal to one, and another where it is taken to be equal to zero.[5][6]) A natural number ${\displaystyle n}$ is defined to be a perfect digit-to-digit invariant in base b if ${\displaystyle F_{b}(n)=n}$. For example, the number 3435 is a perfect digit-to-digit invariant in base 10 because ${\displaystyle 3^{3}+4^{4}+3^{3}+5^{5}=27+256+27+3125=3435}$.

${\displaystyle F_{b}(1)=1}$ for all ${\displaystyle b}$, and thus 1 is a trivial perfect digit-to-digit invariant in all bases, and all other perfect digit-to-digit invariants are nontrivial. For the second convention where ${\displaystyle 0^{0}=0}$, both ${\displaystyle 0}$ and ${\displaystyle 1}$ are trivial perfect digit-to-digit invariants.

A natural number ${\displaystyle n}$ is a sociable digit-to-digit invariant if it is a periodic point for ${\displaystyle F_{b}}$, where ${\displaystyle F_{b}^{k}(n)=n}$ for a positive integer ${\displaystyle k}$, and forms a cycle of period ${\displaystyle k}$. A perfect digit-to-digit invariant is a sociable digit-to-digit invariant with ${\displaystyle k=1}$. An amicable digit-to-digit invariant is a sociable digit-to-digit invariant with ${\displaystyle k=2}$.

All natural numbers ${\displaystyle n}$ are preperiodic points for ${\displaystyle F_{b}}$, regardless of the base. This is because all natural numbers of base ${\displaystyle b}$ with ${\displaystyle k}$ digits satisfy ${\displaystyle b^{k-1}\leq n\leq (k){(b-1)}^{b-1}}$. However, when ${\displaystyle k\geq b+1}$, then ${\displaystyle b^{k-1}>(k){(b-1)}^{b-1}}$, so any ${\displaystyle n}$ will satisfy ${\displaystyle n>F_{b}(n)}$ until ${\displaystyle n<b^{b+1}}$. There are a finite number of natural numbers less than ${\displaystyle b^{b+1}}$, so the number is guaranteed to reach a periodic point or a fixed point less than ${\displaystyle b^{b+1}}$, making it a preperiodic point. This means also that there are a finite number of perfect digit-to-digit invariant and cycles for any given base ${\displaystyle b}$.

The number of iterations ${\displaystyle i}$ needed for ${\displaystyle F_{b}^{i}(n)}$ to reach a fixed point is the ${\displaystyle b}$-factorion function's persistence of ${\displaystyle n}$, and undefined if it never reaches a fixed point.

Perfect digit-to-digit invariants and cycles of F_b for specific b

All numbers are represented in base ${\displaystyle b}$.

Convention 0^0 = 1

Base	Nontrivial perfect digit-to-digit invariants (${\displaystyle n\neq 1}$)	Cycles
2	10	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$
3	12, 22	2 → 11 → 2
4	131, 313	2 → 10 → 2
5	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$	2 → 4 → 2011 → 12 → 10 → 2 104 → 2013 → 113 → 104
6	22352, 23452	4 → 1104 → 1111 → 4 23445 → 24552 → 50054 → 50044 → 24503 → 23445
7	13454	12066 → 536031 → 265204 → 265623 → 551155 → 51310 → 12125 → 12066
8		405 → 6466 → 421700 → 3110776 → 6354114 → 142222 → 421 → 405
9	31, 156262, 1656547
10	3435
11
12	3A67A54832

Convention 0^0 = 0

Base	Nontrivial perfect digit-to-digit invariants (${\displaystyle n\neq 0}$, ${\displaystyle n\neq 1}$)[1]	Cycles
2	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$
3	12, 22	2 → 11 → 2
4	130, 131, 313	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$
5	103, 2024	2 → 4 → 2011 → 11 → 2 9 → 2012 → 9
6	22352, 23452	5 → 22245 → 23413 → 1243 → 1200 → 5 53 → 22332 → 150 → 22250 → 22305 → 22344 → 2311 → 53
7	13454
8	400, 401
9	30, 31, 156262, 1647063, 1656547, 34664084
10	3435, 438579088
11	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$	${\displaystyle \varnothing }$
12	3A67A54832

Programming examples

The following program in Python determines whether an integer number is a Munchausen Number / Perfect Digit to Digit Invariant or not, following the convention ${\displaystyle 0^{0}=1}$.

num = int(input("Enter number:"))
temp = num
s = 0.0
while num > 0:
     digit = num % 10
     num //= 10
     s+= pow(digit, digit)
     
if s == temp:
    print("Munchausen Number")
else:
    print("Not Munchausen Number")

The examples below implement the perfect digit-to-digit invariant function described in the definition above to search for perfect digit-to-digit invariants and cycles in Python for the two conventions.

Convention 0^0 = 1

def pddif(x: int, b: int) -> int:
    total = 0
    while x > 0:
        total = total + pow(x % b, x % b)
        x = x // b
    return total

def pddif_cycle(x: int, b: int) -> list[int]:
    seen = []
    while x not in seen:
        seen.append(x)
        x = pddif(x, b)
    cycle = []
    while x not in cycle:
        cycle.append(x)
        x = pddif(x, b)
    return cycle

Convention 0^0 = 0

def pddif(x: int, b: int) -> int:
    total = 0
    while x > 0:
        if x % b > 0:
            total = total + pow(x % b, x % b)
        x = x // b
    return total

def pddif_cycle(x: int, b: int) -> list[int]:
    seen = []
    while x not in seen:
        seen.append(x)
        x = pddif(x, b)
    cycle = []
    while x not in cycle:
        cycle.append(x)
        x = pddif(x, b)
    return cycle

See also

• Arithmetic dynamics
• Dudeney number
• Factorion
• Happy number
• Kaprekar's constant
• Kaprekar number
• Meertens number
• Narcissistic number
• Perfect digital invariant
• Sum-product number

References

1. van Berkel, Daan (2009). "On a curious property of 3435". arXiv:0911.3038 [math.HO].
2. Olry, Regis and Duane E. Haines. "Historical and Literary Roots of Münchhausen Syndromes", from Literature, Neurology, and Neuroscience: Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders, Stanley Finger, Francois Boller, Anne Stiles, eds. Elsevier, 2013. p.136.
3. Daan van Berkel, On a curious property of 3435.
4. Parker, Matt (2014). Things to Make and Do in the Fourth Dimension. Penguin UK. p. 28. ISBN 9781846147654. Retrieved 2 May 2015.
5. Narcisstic Number, Harvey Heinz
6. Wells, David (1997). The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers. London: Penguin. p. 185. ISBN 0-14-026149-4.

External links

• Parker, Matt. "3435". Numberphile. Brady Haran. Archived from the original on 2017-04-13. Retrieved 2013-04-01.