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The Collatz Conjecture (also known as the 3x+1 Problem) proposes that the following algorithm will, after a certain number of iterations, always yield the number 1: given a natural number, multiply by three and add one if the number is odd,…
Consider the recursive relation generating a new positive integer $n_{\ell +1}$ from the positive integer $n_{\ell }$ according to the following simple rules: if the integer $n_{\ell }$ is odd, $n_{\ell +1}=3n_{\ell }+1$; if the integer…
In this paper we introduce and discuss the sequence of \emph{real numbers} defined as $u_0 \in \mathbb R$ and $u_{n+1} = \Delta(u_n)$ where \begin{equation*} \Delta(x) = \begin{cases} \frac{x}{2} &\text{if }…
The Collatz Conjecture can be stated as: using the reduced Collatz function $C(n) = (3n+1)/2^x$ where $2^x$ is the largest power of 2 that divides $3n+1$, any odd integer $n$ will eventually reach 1 in $j$ iterations such that $C^j(n) = 1$.…
Exploring the Collatz Conjecture and changing the expression from 3n + 1 to 5n + 1, we found patterns in different sets of numbers. Some numbers reduce to one (as stated in the Collatz Conjecture), some might escape to infinity, and some…
It is well known that the following Collatz Conjecture is one of the unsolved problems in mathematics. Collatz Conjecture: For any positive integer $n>1$, the following recursive algorithm will convergent to 1 by a finite number of steps.…
The $3x+1$ problem concerns the iteration of the map $T:\mathbb{Z}\to\mathbb{Z}$ defined by $T(x)=x/2$ for even $x$ and $T(x)=(3x+1)/2$ for odd $x$. We study the \emph{coefficient stopping time} dynamics of $T$ (in the sense of Terras) by…
The Collatz problem is generalized into $3n + 3^k$ problem. It is shown that as long as the Collatz function iterates converge to the cycle passing through the number 1, the $3n + 3^k$ sequence converges to the cycle passing through the…
This paper proposes a formula expression for the well-known Collatz conjecture (or 3x+1 problem), which can pinpoint all the growth points in the orbits of the Collatz map for any natural numbers. The Collatz map $Col: \mathcal{N}+1…
The Collatz conjecture, also known as the 3n+1 problem, is one of the most popular open problems in number theory. In this note, an algorithm for the verification of the Collatz conjecture is presented that works on a standard PC for…
On the set of positive integers, we consider the iterative process that maps $n$ to either $\frac{3n+1}{2}$ or $\frac{n}{2}$ depending on the parity of $n$. The Collatz conjecture states that all such sequences eventually enter the trivial…
In this work, we introduce another extension U of the 3n+1 function to the real line. We propose a conjecture about the U-trajectories that generalizes the famous 3n+1 (or Collatz) conjecture. We then prove our main result about the…
The $3x+k$ function $T_{k}(n)$ sends $n$ to $(3n+k)/2$ resp. $n/2,$ according as $n$ is odd, resp. even, where $k \equiv \pm 1~(\bmod \, 6)$. The map $T_k(\cdot)$ sends integers to integers, and for $m \ge 1$ let $n \rightarrow m$ mean that…
The 3x+1 problem is one of the most classical problems in computer science, related to many fields. As it is thought by scientists a highly hard problem, resolving it successfully not only can improve the research in many relating fields,…
Much work has been done attempting to understand the dynamic behaviour of the so-called "3x+1" function. It is known that finite sequences of iterations with a given length and a given number of odd terms have some combinatorial properties…
We reformulate the $3x+1$ conjecture by restricting attention to numbers congruent to $2$ (mod $3$). This leads to an equivalent conjecture for positive integers that reveals new aspects of the dynamics of the $3x+1$ problem. Advantages…
We developed an algorithm that easily goes from one odd number to the next odd number in binary representation for the reduced forward Collatz map (Syracuse function). The algorithm indicates when an odd number can grow or shrink to the…
Paul Erdos claimed that mathematics is not yet ready to settle the 3x+1 conjecture. I agree, but very soon it will be! With the exponential growth of computer-generated mathematics, we (or rather our silicon brethrern) would have a shot at…
The $3x+1$ map $T$ is defined on the $2$-adic integers $\mathbb{Z}_2$ by $T(x)=x/2$ for even $x$ and $T(x)=(3x+1)/2$ for odd $x$. It is still unproved that under iteration of $T$ the trajectory of any rational $2$-adic integer is eventually…
The Collatz conjecture can be stated in terms of the reduced Collatz function R(x) = (3x+1)/2^m (where 2^m is the larger power of 2 that divides 3x+1). The conjecture is: Starting from any odd positive integer and repeating R(x) we…