# numberphile

Published articles for numberphile.

This is one page of public article previews, not the complete archive. Follow Next page to continue. Summaries are not the original full articles.

## The OEIS meta sequence and subway stations

DevFeed: [The OEIS meta sequence and subway stations](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/the-oeis-meta-sequence-and-subway-stations-40520.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.jeremykun.com/shortform/2026-04-09-0556/>)

Published: 2026-04-09T13:55:17Z

Content type: opinion

Language: en

Sources: [Jeremy Kun](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/jeremy-kun.md>)

Topics: [Sequences](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/sequences.md>), [math](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/math.md>), [Database](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/database.md>)

Tags: [database](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/database.md>), [depths-of-oeis](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/depths-of-oeis.md>), [new-york-city](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/new-york-city.md>), [numberphile](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/numberphile.md>), [oeis](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/oeis.md>), [quirk](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/quirk.md>), [sequence](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sequence.md>), [sequences](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sequences.md>), [shortform](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/shortform.md>), [train](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/train.md>)

### AI overview

This commentary examines OEIS sequence A051070, whose nth term is the nth entry of sequence A_n, or -1 when that sequence lacks enough terms. It highlights unusually large or unknown values, subway-stop sequences included in the OEIS, and self-referential questions involving A051070 and A102288.

### Source excerpt

A051070 is a sequence about OEIS sequences. a(n) is the n-th term in sequence A_n (or -1 if A_n doesn't have enough terms). So the first term in A051070 is 1 because A000001 is the number of groups of order n, and that sequence has 1 as its entry in index 1. A000002 is the Kolakoski sequence (what? For another time) and has value 2 in entry 2. The sequence continues: 1, 2, 1, 0, 2, 3, 0, 7, 8, 4, 63, 1, 316, ...

## Complete Sequences and Magic Tricks

DevFeed: [Complete Sequences and Magic Tricks](<https://devfeed.tech/articles/complete-sequences-and-magic-tricks-40288.md>)

Original publisher: [Read original article](<https://www.jeremykun.com/2012/10/02/complete-sequences-and-magic-tricks/>)

Published: 2012-10-02T11:28:16Z

Content type: tutorial

Language: en

Sources: [Jeremy Kun](<https://devfeed.tech/sources/jeremy-kun.md>)

Topics: [Sequences](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/sequences.md>), [Algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/algorithm.md>), [JavaScript](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/javascript.md>), [Code](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/code.md>), [Programming](<https://devfeed.tech/topics/programming.md>)

Tags: [algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/algorithm.md>), [code](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/code.md>), [dynamic-programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/dynamic-programming.md>), [greedy-algorithm](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/greedy-algorithm.md>), [javascript](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/javascript.md>), [mathematics](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/mathematics.md>), [numberphile](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/numberphile.md>), [primes](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/primes.md>), [programming](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/programming.md>), [sequences](<https://devfeed.tech/tags/sequences.md>)

### AI overview

This tutorial explains complete integer sequences through a card trick inspired by a Numberphile video. It presents a greedy algorithm that generates the cards and selects the smallest representation of each number, then shows how to implement the method in JavaScript.

### Source excerpt

Numberphile posted a video today describing a neat trick based on complete sequences: The mathematics here is pretty simple, but I noticed at the end of the video that Dr. Grime was constructing the cards by hand, when really this is a job for a computer program. I thought it would be a nice warmup exercise (and a treat to all of the Numberphile viewers) to write a program to construct the cards for any complete sequence.