3X+1 cycles having length k=⌈i log_2(3)⌉

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Authors: Sebastien Riche
Cited by: 0
References: 5

Abstract

A "3x+1" cycle of length k occurs when the Collatz function T(n), which takes odd integers n to (3n+1)/2 and even integers n to n/2, applied to an initial integer a0, reach that initial value again after k iterations, so that T^(k)(a0)= a0. It is conjectured that any cycle must have k=⌈i log_2(3)⌉ where i is the number of odd elements in the cycle. It is easy to show that in cycles where a0 is the smallest integer, i

Fields of Study & Subjects

Mathematical Dynamics and Fractals Analytic Number Theory Research Smarandache Functions and Recreational Number Theory

Publication details

Publication date
26 February 2026
Language
EN
Document type
Preprint