The Collatz conjecture, a mathematical enigma that remains unsolved to this day, was formulated by the prominent German mathematician Lothar Collatz in 1937. This fascinating hypothesis is also known by the names "3n+1 conjecture" and " Ulam conjecture. Its statement states that, for any positive integer, certain rules must be followed: if the number is even, it is divided by 2; If the number is odd, it is multiplied by 3 and 1 is added. This process is repeated continuously, whether the result is even or odd.
Published: 2023-11-07