Consider the sequence: a₁ = e, \ a₂ = eᵉ, \ a₃ = e^eᵉ, \ a₄ = e^e^{eᵉ}, \ It is well known that a₁ = e is transcendental (Hermite, 1873). The nature of the remaining terms is unknown, although Schanuel's conjecture implies their transcendence. In this paper we do not attempt to prove transcendence; instead, we investigate the logically possible combinations of transcendental (T) and algebraic (A) terms, relying on the Lindemann–Weierstrass theorem. We show that no two consecutive terms can both be algebraic. From this simple restriction, we analyze deterministic scenarios (T→A and T→T) and prove that in these cases all odd-indexed terms are transcendental. The approach offers a combinatorial-logical framework for analyzing the sequence.
German Mikhailovich Ferdinand (Sun,) studied this question.