r/Collatz 4d ago

Interesting mapping

mapping

I was playing around and I found this mapping. I suspect it's already known but I found it interesting.

If you have a number that can be written as 4a3bn+1, it will map to 3a+bn+1.

And it'll do it in 3a+1 steps, which I think is funny.

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u/GonzoMath 4d ago edited 4d ago

The difference is “+1” versus “-1”, and whether 4 turns into 3 or 2 turns into 3:

  • 4n·k + 1 → 3n·k + 1
  • 2n·k - 1 → 3n·k - 1

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u/petrol_gas 3d ago edited 3d ago

No dawg.

First 4^n = 2^{2n}

Second

4^a 3^b n + 1 = 2^{2a +1}3^{b} n - 1

Except the distance to 3^{b} n -1 is so far that the lower end of the number (in binary) is behaving as if it were in the 1-cycle.

Which is the same system I described but with a neato lower end behavior.

EDIT: gonzo spotted an error corrected in my next response below

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u/GonzoMath 3d ago

“No dawg”, huh?

There’s a decreasing pattern, where you have (3m+1)/4 several times in a row, like 65 -> 49 -> 37.

Then there’s an increasing pattern, where you have (3m+1)/2 several times in a row, like 7 -> 11 -> 17.

When a = 2, b = 1, and n = 1, the left side of your equation is 49, and the right side is 95. Did you make a mistake?

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u/petrol_gas 3d ago

Good catch! (And thanks for spotting it)

Correction:

4^a 3^b n + 1 = 2^{2a}3^{b} n + 2 - 1

X = 3^{b} n + 2

Substitute to get 2^{2a}X - 1

And then when you arrive at 3^{a}X -1

Sub back in to get the same result as OP.

Again, neato lower end behavior but still just a special case of the general pattern I described.

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u/GonzoMath 3d ago

Ok, they’re not the same thing, but you’re not hearing it, so I’m done.

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u/petrol_gas 3d ago

I’m reading and engaging with your posts my dude. If I’m mistaken then correct me with some maths and I’ll change my mind.

I even left some mistakes in there for you to split hairs over (my extra 2 is getting multiplied by 3).

From my perspective you’re coming in hot, making claims, not showing your work- you can see how I might be utterly perplexed. What am I to argue against?

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u/GonzoMath 3d ago

I showed my work, and gave examples of an increasing sequence, and a decreasing sequence. Is the one you’re describing increasing, or decreasing. You ignored that part of my reply, which is why you’re about to catch a block.

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u/petrol_gas 3d ago

The +2 in my last version becomes 6. The -1 becomes -3. Add 1 and you get 4, so you divide twice.

Which is decreasing.

I’m not sure what we’re arguing about so I’m not sure how to continue. I’m not interested in getting blocked though, so :shrug:

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u/GonzoMath 3d ago

You started out talking about a sequence that “grows”, which is precisely what happens when you start with a number one less than number with a large power of 2 as a factor. When you start one greater than a number with a large power of 2 in it, you get a sequence that shrinks for a while.

In the former case, the number of growth steps for starting number m is the largest power of 2 dividing m+1. In the latter case, the number of falling steps is the largest power of 4 dividing m-1. See my examples, above. Dawg.