Related papers: A note on the $3x+1$ conjecture

For any odd positive integer $x$, define $(x_n)_{n\geqslant 0} $ and $(a_n )_{n\geqslant 1} $ by setting $x_{0}=x, \,\, x_n =\cfrac{3x_{n-1} +1}{2^{a_n }}$ such that all $x_n $ are odd. The 3x+1 problem asserts that there is an $x_n =1$ for…

For $x>0$ let $\pi(x)$ denote the number of primes not exceeding $x$. For integers $a$ and $m>0$, we determine when there is an integer $n>1$ with $\pi(n)=(n+a)/m$. In particular, we show that for any integers $m>2$ and $a\le\lceil…

In this paper, we extend recent work of the third author and Ziegler on triples of integers $(a,b,c)$, with the property that each of $(a,b,c)$, $(a+1,b+1,c+1)$ and $(a+2,b+2,c+2)$ is multiplicatively dependent, completely classifying such…

We prove a conjecture that classifies exceptional numbers. This conjecture arises in two different ways, from cryptography and from coding theory. An odd integer $t\geq 3$ is said to be exceptional if $f(x)=x^t$ is APN (Almost Perfect…

This paper introduces prime holdout problems, a problem class related to the Collatz conjecture. After applying a linear function, instead of removing a finite set of prime factors, a holdout problem specifies a set of primes to be…

The ternary Goldbach conjecture (or three-prime conjecture) states that every odd number greater than 5 can be written as the sum of three primes. The purpose of this book is to give the first proof of the conjecture, in full.

A conjecture of Borwein asserts that for any positive integers $n$ and $k$, the coefficient $a_{3k}$ of $q^{3k}$ in the expansion of $\prod_{j=0}^n (1-q^{3j+1})(1-q^{3j+2})$ is nonnegative. In this paper we prove that for any $0 \leq k\leq…

We study difference inequality systems for the 3x+1 problem introduced by the first author in 1989. These systemes can be used to give lower bounds for the number of integers below x that contain 1 in their forward orbit under the 3x+1 map.…

The Collatz conjecture, which posits that any positive integer will eventually reach 1 through a specific iterative process, is a classic unsolved problem in mathematics. This research focuses on designing an efficient algorithm to compute…

We study an extension to the uniqueness conjecture for Markov numbers. For any three positive integers $m\geq a$ and $m\geq b$ satisfying $a^2+b^2+m^2=3abm$, this conjecture states that the triple $(a,m,b)$ is uniquely determined by the…

In this paper we first investigate for what positive integers $a,b,c$ every nonnegative integer $n$ can be represented as $x(ax+1)+y(by+1)+z(cz+1)$ with $x,y,z$ integers. We show that $(a,b,c)$ can be either of the following seven triples:…

This paper is intended as a sequel to a paper arXiv:0803.2636 written by four of the coauthors here. In the paper, they proved a stronger form of the Erd\H{o}s-Mirksy conjecture which states that there are infinitely many positive integers…

It has been conjectured that the sequence $(3/2)^n$ modulo $1$ is uniformly distributed. The distribution of this sequence is signifcant in relation to unsolved problems in number theory including the Collatz conjecture. In this paper, we…

The Collatz process is defined on natural numbers by iterating the map $T(x) = T_0(x) = x/2$ when $x\in\mathbb{N}$ is even and $T(x)=T_1(x) =(3x+1)/2$ when $x$ is odd. In an effort to understand its dynamics, and since Generalised Collatz…

A famous conjecture of Erd\H os and Straus is that for every integer $n\ge2$, $4/n$ can be represented as $1/x+1/y+1/z$, where $x,y,z$ are positive integers. This conjecture was generalized to $5/n$ by Sierpi\'nski, and then Schinzel…

The Collatz conjecture implies that an iterated function sequence under a certain linear operator, beginning with a certain complex valued function, must converge to a certain complex function.

Two conjectures are presented. The first, Conjecture 1, is that the pushforward of a geometric distribution on the integers under $n$ Collatz iterates, modulo $2^p$, is usefully close to uniform distribution on the integers modulo $2^p$, if…

Let $a$, $b$, $c$ be fixed coprime positive integers with $\min\{ a,b,c \} >1$. Let $N(a,b,c)$ denote the number of positive integer solutions $(x,y,z)$ of the equation $a^x + b^y = c^z$. We show that if $(a,b,c)$ is a triple of distinct…

We search for triangular numbers that are multiples of other triangular numbers. It is found that for any positive non-square integer multiplier, there is an infinity of multiples of triangular numbers that are triangular numbers and…

The purpose of this study is to show how to get a necessary criterion for prime numbers with the help of special matrices. My special interest lies in the empirical research of these matrices and their patterns, structures and symmetries.…