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a(n) is the smallest number whose Collatz ('3x+1') trajectory crosses its initial value exactly n times.
2

%I #51 Apr 03 2020 07:55:41

%S 1,3,10,7,6,9,22,19,14,25,18,83,62,33,54,559,108,109,110,97,188,147,

%T 166,221,146,171,292,129,194,257,294,313,342,399,506,609,462,353,398,

%U 531,834,471,530,1153,9854,417,470,627,8758,9853,626,9225,18450,20609,23718

%N a(n) is the smallest number whose Collatz ('3x+1') trajectory crosses its initial value exactly n times.

%C Records: 1, 3, 10, 22, 25, 83, 559, 609, 834, 1153, 9854, 18450, 20609, 23718, 31142, 35090, 41586, 80294, 283262, 377681, 427762, 789305, 887954, 887964, 1403202, 1752022, ..., . - _Robert G. Wilson v_, May 06 2018

%H Jon E. Schoenfield, <a href="/A301937/b301937.txt">Table of n, a(n) for n = 0..185</a>

%H <a href="/index/3#3x1">Index entries for sequences related to 3x+1 (or Collatz) problem</a>

%F a(n) = min{k : A304030(k) = n}.

%F If the Collatz conjecture is true, then a(n) == n (mod 2) for all terms.

%e The Collatz trajectory for k=3 is 3 -> 10 -> 5 -> 16 -> 8 -> 4 -> 2 -> 1 crosses the threshold value of 3 on exactly one iteration: the iteration on which it moves from 4 to 2. No smaller value of k shares this property, so a(1) = 3.

%e The Collatz trajectory for k=6 (see A304030) is nearly identical, containing, in order of appearance, the values 6, 3, 10, 5, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1; it crosses the threshold value of 6 on exactly 4 iterations (3 -> 10, 10 -> 5, 5 -> 16, and 8 -> 4). No smaller value of k shares this property, so a(4) = 6.

%t Collatz[n_] := NestWhileList[ If[ OddQ@#, 3# +1, #/2] &, n, # > 1 &]; f[n_] := Block[{x = Length[ SplitBy[ Collatz@ n, # < n +1 &]] - 1}, If[ OddQ@ n && n > 1, x - 1, x]]; t[_] := 0; k = 1; While[k < 24000, If[ t[f[k]] == 0, t[f[k]] = k]; k++]; t@# & /@ Range@54 (* _Robert G. Wilson v_, May 05 2018 *)

%o (Magma) nMax:=54; a:=[0: n in [1..nMax]]; for k in [2..24000] do n:=0; t:=k; while t gt 1 do tPrev:=t; if IsEven(t) then t:=t div 2; else t:=3*t+1; end if; if (t-k)*(tPrev-k) lt 0 then n+:=1; end if; end while; if (n gt 0) and (n le nMax) then if a[n] eq 0 then a[n]:=k; end if; end if; end for; a;

%Y Cf. A006370, A070165, A304030.

%K nonn

%O 0,2

%A _Jon E. Schoenfield_, May 05 2018