Have you ever wondered if you could solve a legendary math problem... using only your phone? 😮 In this exciting blog post, we explore the famous Collatz Conjecture — a simple yet mysterious puzzle that has baffled mathematicians for decades. Even better, we’ll test it using Python right on an Android device with Pydroid 3 — no computer required!
The Collatz Conjecture, also known as the 3n + 1 problem, is one of the most deceptively simple problems in mathematics. Here's how it works:
The conjecture says: No matter what number you start with, you’ll always eventually reach 1.
Despite its simplicity, no one has ever been able to prove the Collatz Conjecture is true for all positive integers. Researchers have verified it up to around 295 quintillion using powerful computers, but no general proof or counterexample has been found. So... could your phone discover it?
Here’s the script:
def collatz(n): steps = 0 while n != 1: if n % 2 == 0: n = n // 2 else: n = 3 * n + 1 steps += 1 return steps
i = 1 while True: try: collatz(i) print(f"Tested: {i}") i += 1 except Exception as e: print(f"Error at: {i} - {e}") break
collatz(n)
: Applies the Collatz rules to a number.steps
: Counts how many steps until it reaches 1.while True
: Tests every number starting from 1.try-except
: Handles any errors like overflow.Seeing is believing. Here’s a demo of the code running on a phone using Pydroid 3:
The Collatz Conjecture is a beautiful math mystery that anyone can explore. Whether you're a student, coder, or just curious, this challenge is something you can try with nothing but a smartphone. Who knows — maybe your device will make history!
💬 What do you think? Could this little script find what mathematicians have missed? Try it, share results, and comment below. Subscribe for more from Codeverix Digital!