A239126 Rectangular array showing the starting values M(n, k), k >= 1, for the Collatz operation (ud)^n, n >= 1, ending in an odd number, read by antidiagonals.

3, 7, 7, 11, 15, 15, 15, 23, 31, 31, 19, 31, 47, 63, 63, 23, 39, 63, 95, 127, 127, 27, 47, 79, 127, 191, 255, 255, 31, 55, 95, 159, 255, 383, 511, 511, 35, 63, 111, 191, 319, 511, 767, 1023, 1023, 39, 71, 127, 223, 383, 639, 1023, 1535, 2047, 2047

Offset: 1

Author

Wolfdieter Lang, Mar 13 2014

Keywords

• nonn
• tabl
• easy

Comments

The companion array and triangle for the odd end numbers N(n, k) is given in A239127.

The two operations on natural numbers m used in the Collatz 3x+1 conjecture are here (following the M. Trümper paper given in the link) denoted by u for 'up' and d for 'down': u m = 3*m+1, if m is odd, and d m = m/2 if m is even. The present array gives all start numbers M(n, k) for the Collatz word (ud)^n = s^n (s = ud is useful because, except for the one letter word u, at least one d follows a letter u), with n >= 1, and k >= 1. Such Collatz sequences have the maximal number of u's (grow fastest).

This rectangular array is M of Example 2.2. with x=y = n, n >= 1, of the M. Trümper reference, pp. 7-8, written as a triangle by taking NE-SW diagonals. The Collatz sequence starting with M(n, k) has length 2*n+1 for each k and it ends in the odd number N(n, k) given in A239127.

The first row sequences of the array M (columns of triangle TM) are A004767, A004771, A125169, A239128, ...

Examples

			The rectangular array M(n, k) begins:
n\k     1    2    3    4     5     6     7     8     9    10 ...
1:      3    7   11   15    19    23    27    31    35    39
2:      7   15   23   31    39    47    55    63    71    79
3:     15   31   47   63    79    95   111   127   143   159
4:     31   63   95  127   159   191   223   255   287   319
5:     63  127  191  255   319   383   447   511   575   639
6:    127  255  383  511   639   767   895  1023  1151  1279
7:    255  511  767 1023  1279  1535  1791  2047  2303  2559
8:    511 1023 1535 2047  2559  3071  3583  4095  4607  5119
9:   1023 2047 3071 4095  5119  6143  7167  8191  9215 10239
10:  2047 4095 6143 8191 10239 12287 14335 16383 18431 20479
...
The triangle TM(m, n) begins (zeros are not shown):
m\n   1    2     3     4     5     6      7      8      9    10 ...
1:    3
2:    7    7
3:   11   15    15
4:   15   23    31    31
5:   19   31    47    63    63
6:   23   39    63    95   127   127
7:   27   47    79   127   191   255    255
8:   31   55    95   159   255   383    511    511
9:   35   63   111   191   319   511    767   1023   1023
10:  39   71   127   223   383   639   1023   1535   2047  2047
...
---------------------------------------------------------------------
n=1, ud, k=1: M(1, 1) = 3 = TM(1, 1), N(1,1) = 5 with the Collatz sequence  [3, 10, 5] of length 3.
n=1, ud, k=2: M(1, 2) = 7 = TM(2, 1), N(1,2) = 11 with the Collatz sequence  [7, 22, 11] of length 3.
n=4, (ud)^4, k=2: M(4, 2) = 63 = TM(5, 4), N(4,2) = 323 with the Collatz sequence  [63, 190, 95, 286, 143, 430, 215, 646, 323] of length 9.
n=5, (ud)^5, k=1: M(5, 1) = 63 =  TM(5, 5), N(5,1) = 485 with the Collatz sequence  [63, 190, 95, 286, 143, 430, 215, 646, 323, 970, 485] of length 11.
		

Links

• Wolfdieter Lang, On Collatz' Words, Sequences, and Trees, J. of Integer Sequences, Vol. 17 (2014), Article 14.11.7.
• Manfred Trümper, The Collatz Problem in the Light of an Infinite Free Semigroup, Chinese Journal of Mathematics, Vol. 2014, Article ID 756917, 21 pages.
• Eric Weisstein's World of Mathematics, Collatz Problem.
• Wikipedia, Collatz Conjecture.

Crossrefs

Cf. A006577, A139399, A112695, A238475, A238476, A004767, A004771, A125169, A239127, A239128.

Formula

The array: M(n, k) = 2^(n+1)*k - 1 for n >= 1 and k >= 1.

The triangle: TM(m, n) = M(n, m-n+1) = 2^(n+1)*(m-n+1) - 1 for m >= n >= 1 and 0 for m < n.

a(n) = 4*A087808(A130328(n-1)) - 1 (conjectured). - Christian Krause, Jun 15 2021