The refined 3x+13x+1 conjecture

Let TR:ZZT_R:\mathbb{Z}\to\mathbb{Z} be defined by

TR(n)={3n4,n0(mod4),n24,n2(mod4),3n+12,n1(mod2).T_R(n)=\begin{cases}\dfrac{3n}{4},&n\equiv 0\pmod 4,\\[2pt]\dfrac{n-2}{4},&n\equiv 2\pmod 4,\\[2pt]\dfrac{3n+1}{2},&n\equiv 1\pmod 2.\end{cases}

For k0k\geq 0, define TR0(n)=nT_R^{0}(n)=n and TRk+1(n)=TR(TRk(n))T_R^{k+1}(n)=T_R(T_R^{k}(n)), and call (TRk(n))k0(T_R^{k}(n))_{k\geq 0} the TRT_R-trajectory of nn. The refined 3x+13x+1 conjecture. For every integer n0n\geq 0, the TRT_R-trajectory of nn converges to 00. By the preceding equivalence with the usual 3x+13x+1 conjecture, this is an alternative formulation of the same unresolved problem, with the transient terms divisible by 33 and the isolated terms congruent to 11 modulo 33 streamlined.

Sources & referencesView supporting material

Primary source

Roger Zarnowski, “A Refinement of the 3x+1 Conjecture”, arXiv:1908.00311 (2019).

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