Non-Definability of Reachability in Büchi Arithmetic for a Family of Generalized Collatz Maps

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Authors: Madhav Dhiman, Rohan Pandey
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Let $q \ge 3$ and $d \ge 1$ be odd integers with $q+d$ a power of $2$. We study the generalized Collatz map $T_{q,d}$, a one-dimensional piecewise-affine map on the positive integers, and its unparameterized reachability relation $R(x,z)$, which holds when $z$ is an iterate of $x$ under $T_{q,d}$. We prove that for every such pair $(q,d)$ the relation $R$ is not first-order definable in Büchi arithmetic $\langle \mathbb{N}, +, V_q \rangle$. Equivalently, no finite automaton recognizes the base-$q$ encoding of $R$. Assuming definability of $R$, we construct a first-order formula that defines the set of powers of $2$. Cobham's theorem then rules out this set. The family includes the classical map $T_{3,1}$. The family is infinite but restricted, isolated by the condition that $q+d$ is a power of $2$ . Unlike the undecidability results of Conway, Kurtz, and Simon, the construction does not embed universal computation and does not depend on the Collatz conjecture.

Fields of Study & Subjects

semigroups and automata theory Computability Logic AI Algorithms Advanced Topology and Set Theory

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
1 February 2026
Document type
Preprint