Recursive function with subscript

Question

I am trying to define a recursive function with a subscript. Something similar would be $f_{n+1}(x) = \int 3 x f_{n}(x)dx$. I've tried lists, For function, NestList, and RecurrenceTable. What do you recommend?

Answer 1

Assume some $f_1(x)$ and then define a univariate recursion in terms of n:

f[1] := x + 1;
f[n_Integer /; n >= 2] := f[n] = Integrate[3 x f[n - 1], x]

For example:

f[5]

27/560 ((35 x^8)/8 + (16 x^9)/9)

Answer 2

Continuing with corey979's approach

Clear["Global`*"]

f[1] := x + 1;
f[n_Integer /; n >= 2] := f[n] = Integrate[3 x f[n - 1], x] // Simplify

Generating a sequence from the recursion

seq = f /@ Range[6] // FullSimplify

(* {1 + x, (3 x^2)/2 + x^3, 3/40 x^4 (15 + 8 x), 9/560 x^6 (35 + 16 x), 
     (3 x^8 (315 + 128 x))/4480, (9 x^10 (693 + 256 x))/98560} *)

Using FindSequenceFunction directly doesn't work. To simplify the problem, break the sequence into its component parts

seq2 = Simplify[seq/(x^(2 (# - 1)) & /@ Range[6])]

(* {1 + x, 3/2 + x, 9/8 + (3 x)/5, 9/16 + (9 x)/35, 27/128 + (3 x)/35, 
 81/1280 + (9 x)/385} *)

seq3 = Coefficient[#, x] & /@ seq2

(* {1, 1, 3/5, 9/35, 3/35, 9/385} *)

seq4 = seq2 - x*seq3

(* {1, 3/2, 9/8, 9/16, 27/128, 81/1280} *)

The original sequence is then represented by

f2[n_, x_] = (FindSequenceFunction[seq4, n] + 
      FindSequenceFunction[seq3, n]*x) x^(2 n - 2) // FunctionExpand // 
  FullSimplify

(* (6^(-1 + n) x^(-2 + 2 n) *
    (Sqrt[π] x Gamma[n] + 2 Gamma[1/2 + n]))/(Sqrt[π] Gamma[2 n]) *)

Verifying that f == f2 over a much broader range than the original sequence

And @@ Simplify[Table[f[n] == f2[n, x], {n, 1, 40}]]

(* True *)

f2 is not limited to integer values of n

Plot3D[f2[n, x], {n, 1/2, 10}, {x, 0, 2},
 AxesLabel -> (Style[#, 14] & /@ {"n", "x", "f"}),
 ClippingStyle -> None,
 ImageSize -> Medium]

EDIT: More succinctly, to go from seq to f2

f2[n_, x_] = (Total[FindSequenceFunction[#, n] & /@ 
  Transpose[List @@@ (seq // Expand)]] // FunctionExpand // FullSimplify)

(* (6^(-1 + n) (x^2)^(-1 + n) * 
  (Sqrt[π] x Gamma[n] + 2 Gamma[1/2 + n]))/(Sqrt[π] Gamma[2 n]) *)