Related papers: $3n + 3^k$ Problem

Collatz Conjecture is one of the most famous, for its simple form, proposed more than eighty years ago. This paper presents a full attempt to prove the affirmative answer to the question proposed by the conjecture. In the first section, we…

In this paper I present a new method of studying the densities of the Collatz trajectories generated by a set $S \subset \mathbb{N}$. This method is used to furnish an alternative proof that $d(\{y \in \mathbb{N} : \exists k \text{ where }…

We introduce an infinite set of integer mappings that generalize the well-known Collatz-Ulam mapping and we conjecture that an infinite subset of these mappings feature the remarkable property of the Collatz conjecture, namely that they…

The Tribonacci sequence is a well-known example of third order recurrence sequence, which belongs to a particular class of recursive sequences. In this article, other generalized Tribonacci sequence is introduced and defined by…

Proposed in 1937, the Collatz conjecture has remained in the spotlight for mathematicians and computer scientists alike due to its simple proposal, yet intractable proof. In this paper, we propose several novel theorems, corollaries, and…

Let $p$ be a prime greater than $3$ and let $a$ be a rational p-adic integer. In this paper we try to determine $\sum_{k=1}^{[p/3]}\binom{3k}ka^k\pmod p$, and real the connection between cubic congruences and the sum…

Collatz Conjecture sequences increase and decrease in seemingly random fashion. By identifying and analyzing the forms of numbers, we discover that Collatz sequences are governed by very specific, well-defined rules, which we call cascades.

This article introduces a new kind of number systems on $p$-adic integers which is inspired by the well-known $3n+1$ conjecture of Lothar Collatz. A $p$-adic system is a piecewise function on $\mathbb{Z}_p$ which has branches for all…

We study the number $\nu(n)$ of representations of a positive integer $n$ by the form $x^3+y^3+z^3-3xyz$ in the conditions $0\leq x\leq y\leq z; z\geq x+1.$ We proved the following results: (i) for every positive $n,$ except for…

The famous 3x + 1 problem of L. Collatz needs no introduction; however, this paper concerns a lesser-known, but similarly unresolved, precursor problem : the Original Collatz Conjecture, or OCC. We demonstrate that the core arithmetic…

Given a positive integer $k$ and a directed graph with a cost on each edge, the $k$-length negative cost cycle ($k$\emph{LNCC}) problem is to determine whether there exists a negative cost cycle with at least $k$ edges, and the fixed-point…

Using $p$-adic numbers, we partially categorize the cycles of a sizable class of polynomial dynamical systems. In turn, we prove a few results related to the non-trivial cycles of the $\textit{Collatz map}$ $\text{Col} : \mathbb{Z}_+ \to…

We prove a robust version of Freiman's $3k - 4$ theorem on the restricted sumset $A+_{\Gamma}B$, which applies when the doubling constant is at most $\tfrac{3+\sqrt{5}}{2}$ in general and at most $3$ in the special case when $A = -B$. As…

The aim of this paper is to show a peculiar behavior of a (hypothetical) Collatz sequence going to infinity. We study the associated Syracusa sequence (the odd elements of the former) and show that the limit set of a conveniently normalized…

For every positive integer $k$, we show that every graph of order $n$ at least $3k$ with more than $$\max\{{2k-1\choose 2}+(2k-1)(n-(2k-1)),{3k-1\choose 2}+(n-(3k-1))\}$$ edges has $k$ vertex disjoint cycles, which is a best possible…

The celebrated $3x+1$ problem is reformulated via the use of an analytic expression of the trailing zeros sequence resulting in a single branch formula $f(x)+1$ with a unique fixed point. The resultant formula $f(x)$ is also found to…

The 3x+1 problem is a difficult conjecture dealing with quite a simple algorithm on the positive integers. A possible approach is to go beyond the discrete nature of the problem, following M. Chamberland who used an analytic extension to…

A recast of the standard residue-class analysis of the 3x+1 (Collatz) map in terms of two elementary operators on arithmetic progressions. The resulting calculus (i) splits any progression into its even and odd subsequences in a single…

We consider several old problems involving the number of prime divisors function $\omega(n)$, as well as the related functions $\Omega(n)$ and $\tau(n)$. Firstly, we show that there are infinitely many positive integers $n$ such that…

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…