The Simplest Math Problem No One Can Solve - Collatz Conjecture

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  • Опубліковано 29 лип 2021
  • The Collatz Conjecture is the simplest math problem no one can solve - it is easy enough for almost anyone to understand but notoriously difficult to solve. This video is sponsored by Brilliant. The first 200 people to sign up via brilliant.org/veritasium get 20% off a yearly subscription.
    Special thanks to Prof. Alex Kontorovich for introducing us to this topic, filming the interview, and consulting on the script and earlier drafts of this video.
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    References:
    Lagarias, J. C. (2006). The 3x+ 1 problem: An annotated bibliography, II (2000-2009). arXiv preprint math/0608208. - ve42.co/Lagarias2006
    Lagarias, J. C. (2003). The 3x+ 1 problem: An annotated bibliography (1963-1999). The ultimate challenge: the 3x, 1, 267-341. - ve42.co/Lagarias2003
    Tao, T (2020). The Notorious Collatz Conjecture - ve42.co/Tao2020
    A. Kontorovich and Y. Sinai, Structure Theorem for (d,g,h)-Maps, Bulletin of the Brazilian Mathematical Society, New Series 33(2), 2002, pp. 213-224.
    A. Kontorovich and S. Miller Benford's Law, values of L-functions and the 3x+1 Problem, Acta Arithmetica 120 (2005), 269-297.
    A. Kontorovich and J. Lagarias Stochastic Models for the 3x + 1 and 5x + 1 Problems, in "The Ultimate Challenge: The 3x+1 Problem," AMS 2010.
    Tao, T. (2019). Almost all orbits of the Collatz map attain almost bounded values. arXiv preprint arXiv:1909.03562. - ve42.co/Tao2019
    Conway, J. H. (1987). Fractran: A simple universal programming language for arithmetic. In Open problems in Communication and Computation (pp. 4-26). Springer, New York, NY. - ve42.co/Conway1987
    The Manim Community Developers. (2021). Manim - Mathematical Animation Framework (Version v0.13.1) [Computer software]. www.manim.community/
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    Special thanks to Patreon supporters: Alvaro Naranjo, Burt Humburg, Blake Byers, Dumky, Mike Tung, Evgeny Skvortsov, Meekay, Ismail Öncü Usta, Paul Peijzel, Crated Comments, Anna, Mac Malkawi, Michael Schneider, Oleksii Leonov, Jim Osmun, Tyson McDowell, Ludovic Robillard, Jim buckmaster, fanime96, Juan Benet, Ruslan Khroma, Robert Blum, Richard Sundvall, Lee Redden, Vincent, Marinus Kuivenhoven, Alfred Wallace, Arjun Chakroborty, Joar Wandborg, Clayton Greenwell, Pindex, Michael Krugman, Cy 'kkm' K'Nelson, Sam Lutfi, Ron Neal
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    Written by Derek Muller, Alex Kontorovich and Petr Lebedev
    Animation by Ivy Tello, Jonny Hyman, Jesús Enrique Rascón and Mike Radjabov
    Filmed by Derek Muller and Emily Zhang
    Edited by Derek Muller
    SFX by Shaun Clifford
    Additional video supplied by Getty Images
    Produced by Derek Muller, Petr Lebedev and Emily Zhang
    3d Coral by Vasilis Triantafyllou and Niklas Rosenstein - ve42.co/3DCoral
    Coral visualisation by Algoritmarte - ve42.co/Coral

КОМЕНТАРІ • 78 тис.

  • @k.pacificnw02134
    @k.pacificnw02134 2 роки тому +49420

    Everyone here: "...but just a maaaaybe I'll be the one to solve it."

    • @TheGreekGodOfWallStreet
      @TheGreekGodOfWallStreet 2 роки тому +4240

      "I could write a computer program to try and solve it". Because I'm sure nobody has tried that before 😪

    • @evilkillerwhale7078
      @evilkillerwhale7078 2 роки тому +1252

      You can actually instantly solve for half of all numbers. If all numbers up to an odd N works, (n+1)/2

    • @jrbros2371
      @jrbros2371 2 роки тому +268

      I too thought i could solve it :D

    • @systim30
      @systim30 2 роки тому +491

      What is there to solve? There is nothing to solve

    • @jrbros2371
      @jrbros2371 2 роки тому +329

      @@rabiebabies7812 0 is not positive but it forms a loop. Its also not negative but no number ends up at zero so it is independent loop of itself

  • @jokes.on.u
    @jokes.on.u 2 роки тому +4660

    Teacher: Why did you not answer the questions on your test.
    Me: Because the Math is not ripe enough for me to answer these questions

    • @anyaburke6636
      @anyaburke6636 2 роки тому +69

      facts

    • @lordsiomai
      @lordsiomai 2 роки тому +45

      Imma use this

    • @scottmurphy248
      @scottmurphy248 2 роки тому +68

      @@lordsiomai be honest, no you won't

    • @compszn
      @compszn 2 роки тому +5

      @@anyaburke6636 its 6

    • @krisha8430
      @krisha8430 2 роки тому +2

      @Human Kind its already a 1000 We can make it 2000??

  • @user-ik4so3yp2e
    @user-ik4so3yp2e Місяць тому +363

    I love how he makes us think that he is the world's greatest mathematician by showing us his picture when saying that, but then shows the other half of the picture.

    • @JPcommunicates
      @JPcommunicates 28 днів тому +4

      Well, that isn't even a person who solve the task. It's a computer programme which tries to explain something what isn't actually relevant.

    • @AlbertSatnoianu
      @AlbertSatnoianu 18 днів тому

      lol

    • @user-oq5gn6br1u
      @user-oq5gn6br1u 7 днів тому

      😂 lol

  • @shmuelman
    @shmuelman 2 місяці тому +190

    Certainly one of the finest mathematical videos on UA-cam.

  • @Yihtc
    @Yihtc 2 роки тому +15469

    “Pick a number”
    Me:Fou-
    “Seven? Good choice”
    Me:but I-

    • @rachelx04
      @rachelx04 2 роки тому +406

      I said 4, I usually say 3 but I said 4 😂

    • @palindromia130
      @palindromia130 2 роки тому +379

      He said seven because seven is more likely to be chosen lmao

    • @ArcFenixDelacroix
      @ArcFenixDelacroix 2 роки тому +139

      I think Im the only one who chose 7

    • @vor0g
      @vor0g 2 роки тому +52

      Only reason I'm not liking is bc tbe lile count is at 69

    • @samirh2758
      @samirh2758 2 роки тому +126

      I didn't choose a number at all because no one can make me do math.

  • @marcokapusta3843
    @marcokapusta3843 2 роки тому +23832

    This math problem is actually like my trading portfolio, I can start with any number but end at $ 1

    • @JeffMTX
      @JeffMTX 2 роки тому +378

      you too? :)

    • @luca6819
      @luca6819 2 роки тому +594

      I tried to remove the eyelash on the display 🤭

    • @davidbesant
      @davidbesant 2 роки тому +258

      There's that damn eyelash on my screen again!

    • @RetroFuel
      @RetroFuel 2 роки тому +48

      @@luca6819 .same lol

    • @Hoshino_Channel
      @Hoshino_Channel 2 роки тому +157

      @@luca6819 You're using youtube in lightmode? ;o

  • @tyagohiee
    @tyagohiee 3 місяці тому +439

    I was once talking to my math teacher and i asked her "why was Bhaskara so annoying" and she told me "he wasn't, he simplified a lot of things into a single calculus", then my friend said "so mathematicians have to simplify math because humans find it too hard when humans themselves created it" and my teacher said "yes, the point of math is simplifying something we made dificult in the first place".
    That chat was all i thought about throughout this video.

    • @jasondelay2931
      @jasondelay2931 3 місяці тому +24

      Love this anecdote. Thank you.
      For the video, it only exist because somebody said “no, you need to divide by 2 if it’s an even number” why? “I don’t have a reason why but it makes it complicated so do it”

    • @fletch4231
      @fletch4231 2 місяці тому +7

      As someone who is basically math illiterate, this makes almost no sense… makes me ask why we even made math, how it works, how do things even get figured out like the mathematical theorems and stuff… my confusion in difficult math related thingies makes me want to actually understand it more than my school education 😂

    • @chuck1804
      @chuck1804 2 місяці тому +5

      @@fletch4231 My thoughts exactly. Invent problems and then try to solve them. As if we didn't have enough problems!

    • @None-Trick_Pony
      @None-Trick_Pony 2 місяці тому +16

      ​@@fletch4231I'm not very good with math myself, but its origins are very simple. It started as a system of tallies for counting things (typically livestock). That's likely why most counting systems have changes at 5 and/or 10-those are the number of digits on a hand and both hands, the simplest way to tally (cf. Roman V & X, Indo-Arabic 9 to 10, crossing four tally marks, etc.). You probably tally with your fingers subconciously. It evolved into counting more complex things, and you may even have needed to create units of measuring, for parcelling land, weighing grain, and measuring beer. On the note of beer, written language may have developed in the Near East as a medium of accounting, as evidenced by some very early cuneiform tablets mathematically tracking grains and even beer. It slowly got more and more complex as people realized that math is better at describing the universe than it has any right being. Ultimately, it was serendipity that it happened to be our best way of describing the universe, which is absurdly complex.
      TL;DR: Math started as a way of tallying and became more complex as its applications were discovered. Math is never purposefully obtuse-it's just our best medium of describing the universe. As the universe is absurdly complex, any system describing it must necessarily also be absurdly complex.

    • @dadogdoin1360
      @dadogdoin1360 2 місяці тому +1

      @@jasondelay2931I mean exploring things like that might lead to good discoveries

  • @marcuswaterloo
    @marcuswaterloo 3 місяці тому +105

    Here because I have the Collatz Conjecture in a Brilliant coding question.
    I have found Brilliant the easiest to jump back into when I have time.
    Great loop back Veritasium.

    • @armin3057
      @armin3057 2 місяці тому +2

      "coding"
      im always bewildered when people say that.
      coding is just another notation, nothing more.

    • @jesse406
      @jesse406 2 місяці тому

      @@armin3057 dork

    • @SeanGonzalezMDHEXT
      @SeanGonzalezMDHEXT Місяць тому +2

      ​@@armin3057 coding is a verb. It's an action. You code something which is to say you program it to behave in a certain way. What you're referring to is code itself, which is another form of notation. Regardless of the programming language, any mathematical function can be represented in code. What you're saying is out of place in response to this comment as it was not referring to the programming language, but the problem-solving aspect of writing code which in itself has nothing to do with notation.

  • @grimaffiliations3671
    @grimaffiliations3671 2 роки тому +4142

    Me: Where should we eat?
    Girlfriend: Mathematics is not yet ripe enough for such question

  • @cosmicnomad8575
    @cosmicnomad8575 2 роки тому +26452

    I absolutely love how mathematicians always find the most random things to debate over!

  • @pabescgmail
    @pabescgmail 3 місяці тому +96

    When negative numbers have 3 different loops, it makes me wonder if I change not only the seed sign but the operand. And turned out that if I apply 3n-1 for negatives (likewise changing the sign of the objectvie function on the concavity on linear programming), the graphical representation is a mirrored one of the positives. This way the whole set can apply the same rules for positives on 3n+1 including a single loop (-4, -2, -1)

    • @devangbajpai8608
      @devangbajpai8608 3 місяці тому +2

      If we try the polynomial 3x + 1 for negatives then we will be stuck in a loop of -7 or -1 everytime for any negative integer. Try this too!

    • @pabescgmail
      @pabescgmail 2 місяці тому

      Yes, there are 4 different loops if negatives are used.

    • @eon2330
      @eon2330 2 місяці тому +4

      The +1 is the key tbh. If you go into non whole numbers any .25 .5 or .75 will loop as an odd number infinitely. Because 1 doesn't make it positive and non of these numbers rise a above 1 ever. they keep a 5 at the end. So it only works on numbers because we have no define of 0 as even OR odd, or both, and dividing it is weird, but also because adding 1 is what DEFINES changing from odd to even.

    • @DaPoloJay
      @DaPoloJay 2 місяці тому +2

      @@eon2330 That’s what I was thinking if you start the equation from 0 3x0=0 which is still nothing until u add 1 now we’re positive but u can’t get 2 from 1 so now the loop starts u will never get 0 again

    • @lanisilvious7098
      @lanisilvious7098 2 місяці тому +2

      ​​@@DaPoloJaywhy did you multiply and add to zero, it's not an odd number. Why do you not divide by 2? 0 divided by 2 is 0. . .and if a previous comment is correct that zero is neither even nor odd, you can't even start at all.

  • @HemanthHR-fi5rq
    @HemanthHR-fi5rq 2 місяці тому +14

    I’m glad I found this channel. Amazing quality content ❤️🙌

  • @agentkp4574
    @agentkp4574 2 роки тому +3216

    Mathematicians: Dont waste your time on this problem
    20.7 million people: YES

    • @davidmedina7721
      @davidmedina7721 2 роки тому +29

      Just cuz you said that I'm going to code a program that runs through all posible combinations on scratch

    • @apbe2q35
      @apbe2q35 2 роки тому +27

      3 years year old me : what is maltiplikaton?

    • @Seeker-dx1gj
      @Seeker-dx1gj 2 роки тому +1

      Ok

    • @BoEatsApples
      @BoEatsApples 2 роки тому +1

      13 Million*

    • @Penguins459
      @Penguins459 2 роки тому

      more

  • @Hanyamanusiabiasa
    @Hanyamanusiabiasa 2 роки тому +1948

    Me : "That's interesting puzzle, maybe I can solve it"
    Me 22 minutes later : "oh."

    • @Dizzy00001
      @Dizzy00001 2 роки тому +12

      Lol

    • @theultimatetime8029
      @theultimatetime8029 2 роки тому +40

      Same I was like I'm gonnna guess a random number and try to do it..but 2⁶⁰ is really a big numbers they tried

    • @mjzudba5268
      @mjzudba5268 2 роки тому +16

      @@theultimatetime8029 well, Derek (the narrator in the video) did say that 2 to the 60 is nothing compared to the other numbers tried in Polya's conjecture. The counterexample which disproved Polya's conjecture was 1.845 × 10^361, an immense number. Still, 2 to the 60 is BIG.

    • @theultimatetime8029
      @theultimatetime8029 2 роки тому +3

      @@mjzudba5268 yes ofcourse

    • @khuetranxuan8218
      @khuetranxuan8218 2 роки тому +2

      @@theultimatetime8029 try 70!,it's bigger or even 2^70!

  • @salahsedarous7616
    @salahsedarous7616 3 місяці тому +19

    You can accelerate the conversion by allowing division by 3 beside 2. I noticed that in my own limited search. Fascinating stuff.

  • @DeadKarlisAlive
    @DeadKarlisAlive 2 місяці тому +9

    I’ve always wondered why mathematicians only look at the patterns of the ’hailstone integers’ with this problem.
    Maybe the pattern is found in the numbers that are skipped after doing the equation either with 1 number or after a million numbers

  • @ghostphalanx
    @ghostphalanx 2 роки тому +7951

    Whoever created all those graph animations is an absolute master in after effects expressions

    • @pratanakangsadal521
      @pratanakangsadal521 2 роки тому +56

      Amen.

    • @gn4sty731
      @gn4sty731 2 роки тому +9

      BR?

    • @GamingWithTimmy0
      @GamingWithTimmy0 2 роки тому +19

      The thumbnail equals 1 cause 3x_ is 3x nothing so if I did that it would be 0 and if I plus the 1 it = 1

    • @GamingWithTimmy0
      @GamingWithTimmy0 2 роки тому +6

      Math

    • @cirque1783
      @cirque1783 2 роки тому +7

      BY "NO ONE" : He meant about Americans cause he himself is a american who dont knows anything about the outside world .

  • @Naurik
    @Naurik 2 роки тому +2753

    Pretty much every subject in school is really interesting if I’m not forced to learn it

    • @EnriqueLaberintico
      @EnriqueLaberintico 2 роки тому +79

      History of the entire world, I guess convinces me.

    • @octaviovilchez3096
      @octaviovilchez3096 2 роки тому +56

      Pretty much every subject in university is really interesting if I"m not forced to learn it

    • @alexmangorove
      @alexmangorove 2 роки тому +69

      School in a form of forced education kills interests and produces stupider people. Coersion always makes things worse.

    • @seanallen8828
      @seanallen8828 2 роки тому

      English, grammar

    • @benfulford3943
      @benfulford3943 2 роки тому +9

      Sorry to hear that you did not have good teachers. I was fortunate to go to a great school that had many good teachers that were able to teach stuff like this in interesting and engaging way. It was the teachers that failed you not the environment where you are 'forced to learn'.

  • @kelvinedits9471
    @kelvinedits9471 16 днів тому +2

    I wanna know who edit his videos.... The hard work ❤ ! We appreciate you bro !!

  • @priordan80
    @priordan80 21 день тому

    The change of 3x+1 from branches pattern to 3x+1 on the -y axis where the branch pattern changes to a bar chart is reminiscent of the probability scenario on your video about the stock market and demonstrated with your ballbearing prop, also on -y axis 4,3,1 is viewed eventually as a singular number commencing the bar graph pattern.

  • @isaacpalmer1195
    @isaacpalmer1195 2 роки тому +1550

    Mathway: “Am i a joke to you?”
    Photomath: “Answer the question.”

  • @shadyceddy6509
    @shadyceddy6509 2 роки тому +22246

    Fun fact: We are not mathematicians but we got interested by this.

  • @CourtneyIsLovely
    @CourtneyIsLovely 2 місяці тому +8

    “Pick a number, any number”
    Uhh… 7?
    “7? Good choice!”

  • @aladpresspays
    @aladpresspays 18 днів тому +2

    It always and ultimately comes down to one or shall I say come up to one... the one and only... wherever you'd dig you'll find the one. Just need to open your heart following your eyes opening.

  • @leebydeeby
    @leebydeeby 2 роки тому +1252

    My calculus professor just introduced this conjecture to us last week, and ever since then I've been shamelessly addicted to just bringing up a random number generator for a starting point and wasting away the hours.

    • @astronautboynr2018
      @astronautboynr2018 2 роки тому +9

      nerd

    • @livinglogically8180
      @livinglogically8180 2 роки тому +8

      Atleast find better ways of procrastination

    • @r-a-kralphandkoto2413
      @r-a-kralphandkoto2413 2 роки тому +5

      @Hence Forgot bricks bit to though to bite on man ill rather have alloyed steel

    • @Mr.Human69
      @Mr.Human69 2 роки тому +2

      Ez Answer Is 9 I was Doing my math Homework Bruh

    • @sera_makyuri
      @sera_makyuri 2 роки тому +1

      You have a great teacher if they motivated you to spend hours on this!

  • @kugelblitz7946
    @kugelblitz7946 2 роки тому +3003

    i wrote this comment to appreciate that those graphs were not just random. There were exact and to the scale.

    • @itismethatguy
      @itismethatguy 2 роки тому +17

      Ikr

    • @Sintinium
      @Sintinium 2 роки тому +93

      Ikr I wonder how many days or months it took to build all of those. Unless he wrote a program for it then maybe a day or two

    • @EpicVideos2
      @EpicVideos2 2 роки тому +165

      @@Sintinium of course he wrote a program for it but I expect the developer probably spent at least 2 weeks on making it.

    • @AxxLAfriku
      @AxxLAfriku 2 роки тому +1

      You dislike the stuff that gets uploaded by my fingers clicking upload? Are you just a h8er boi? I say see you l8er boi. Don't watch the stuff that gets uploaded by my fingers clicking upload anymore. Your dislikes are damaging my good good GOOD reputation. I am a superstar, dear kd

    • @kugelblitz7946
      @kugelblitz7946 2 роки тому +2

      @@Sintinium I think he paid some small company to do that, a single person is unlikely to do that

  • @austinvanderveer213
    @austinvanderveer213 3 місяці тому +22

    This reminds me of the Philosophy Wikipedia page, where if you click on the first link in any Wikipedia entry you'll eventually get to Philosophy.

    • @tobiandobito3736
      @tobiandobito3736 2 місяці тому +3

      I looked up a train. I ended up at philosophy...

  • @matan2924
    @matan2924 День тому +2

    At this point it just looks like mathematicians are creating problems for the heck of it

  • @Liur.
    @Liur. 2 роки тому +1531

    Mathematicians: *_cries in proofs_*
    Scientists: *_laughs in null hypotheses_*

    • @Liur.
      @Liur. 2 роки тому +105

      @@Sinaloabricks hypotheses is the plural 🙄

    • @er00ic
      @er00ic 2 роки тому +6

      @@Sinaloabricks Who says that we have only the one hypothesis?

    • @andrewcramer9200
      @andrewcramer9200 2 роки тому +18

      Statistician: *does both in bipolarity*

    • @paxhumana2015
      @paxhumana2015 2 роки тому

      Is not mathematics merely just a part of science anyway?

    • @paxhumana2015
      @paxhumana2015 2 роки тому +1

      @@andrewcramer9200 Bipolar Person: "Finally, someone DOES understand me"!

  • @parkiel54
    @parkiel54 2 роки тому +4412

    Oh my god, this poor animator. That is a serious amount of dedication. Looks fantastic!

    • @CoreDeck
      @CoreDeck 2 роки тому +94

      i was just gonna say that! Amazing work by the editor.

    • @remenyo
      @remenyo 2 роки тому +71

      It seems like it is made by the same software that 3b1b uses.

    • @user-xf6ox6zx4w
      @user-xf6ox6zx4w 2 роки тому +7

      Amajing

    • @danielrasheedi
      @danielrasheedi 2 роки тому

      @@remenyo what is it??

    • @MehtabSinghEdhan
      @MehtabSinghEdhan 2 роки тому +99

      i generated these graphs with python matplotlib, and then save the changing graphs for value of x, in an image sequence, then played them in premiere pro, voila..no animation needed for graphs and bar graphs 😁you can generate graphs with python

  • @richardfellows5041
    @richardfellows5041 Місяць тому +4

    Consider the following.
    1. there are an infinite number of 2^n numbers.
    2. Consider an algorithm that selects a random number and tests it against whether it is a 2^n number. And if so applies the second half of the 3n+1 problem, in which case it will always collapse to the 4 -2-1 sequence.
    3. What is the probability that the random number generator will never hit on one of the 2^n numbers.
    4. I contend that the probability is zero.

    • @jmodified
      @jmodified Місяць тому +2

      It's not a random process. Consider that 3x-1 has identical statistics but multiple loops.

  • @ThatOneKat511
    @ThatOneKat511 6 днів тому +2

    15:02 why negative numbers have three loops? Well, use positive numbers but change the function from 3x+1 to 3x-1 and you’ll get the same three loops.

  • @changolord93
    @changolord93 2 роки тому +1219

    -showing his own face
    “One of the greatest mathematicians”
    Dudes pops out of nowhere
    “Mr. Tao”
    Lol you had me at the first half not gonna lie

    • @veramentestanco
      @veramentestanco 2 роки тому +21

      He had me too!
      Brilliant!

    • @anonamemous6865
      @anonamemous6865 2 роки тому

      He had me too

    • @DrakyHRT
      @DrakyHRT 2 роки тому +1

      @samridh sood infinity is a number, any number, or all numbers should i say, and no, this is not the problem with this conjecture.

    • @irenegold3969
      @irenegold3969 2 роки тому

      LOL

    • @lunatik4265
      @lunatik4265 2 роки тому

      @samridh sood I think you´re on to something. The Fields Medal is in reach!

  • @CrimsonRegalia
    @CrimsonRegalia 2 роки тому +1376

    "What do you do for a living?"
    Mathematician: "I am studying 3x+1."

    • @anunknownperson4018
      @anunknownperson4018 2 роки тому +9

      havent watch the whole video but 3x+1 is impossible to solve bc it has infinite solutions??

    • @vector1213
      @vector1213 2 роки тому +1

      Big maffs

    • @fanaticjay3825
      @fanaticjay3825 2 роки тому +14

      no one
      not even no one
      me: 3x+1 equals 1 because 3x nothing is 0 amd + 1 is 1

    • @Floorlicker2000
      @Floorlicker2000 2 роки тому +4

      When I saw that picture I was like it’s obviously 4x
      I disagree

    • @HaaKaaf
      @HaaKaaf 2 роки тому

      @@fanaticjay3825 bruh what

  • @wtcodingproductions
    @wtcodingproductions 2 місяці тому +6

    I've created two simple C++ programs that solve the multiplication of binomials such as (3x + 1), and am looking to do more.
    Thank you for this unique & interesting concept. College Calculus major.

    • @adamrozek5782
      @adamrozek5782 20 днів тому

      Isn't 3x+1 equal to
      3x=-1 so
      X=-1/3
      ? Idk what's the problem here btw 😂

    • @prasadbhalerao8556
      @prasadbhalerao8556 12 днів тому

      ​@@adamrozek5782Lol this shows the whole video went over your head
      What they are trying to solve is , They want to find a number which does not go in 4 2 1 loop

    • @prasadbhalerao8556
      @prasadbhalerao8556 12 днів тому

      ​@@adamrozek5782Also it's not a 3x+1=0 😂

  • @adw1z
    @adw1z Місяць тому +1

    For those wondering, Alex K. is the narrator and voice behind the Quanta Magazine’s stunning video on the Riemann Hypothesis. This is like a collab of dreams!

  • @Ali-Mhsn
    @Ali-Mhsn 2 роки тому +1702

    I laughed when he said "one of the greatest mathematicians" and showed his his grinning into the camera

    • @jAYROCCS1x
      @jAYROCCS1x 2 роки тому +4

      ?

    • @John-el5sv
      @John-el5sv 2 роки тому +8

      @@jAYROCCS1x 12:36

    • @jAYROCCS1x
      @jAYROCCS1x 2 роки тому +8

      @@John-el5sv i see. thought he meant the guy frm the beginning.

    • @bill6687
      @bill6687 2 роки тому +17

      "The world's greatest mathematician: myself"

    • @PureMagma
      @PureMagma 2 роки тому +12

      Humble-bragging or else it's a better way to subvert expectations before revealing truth!
      Terry Tao looks like someone who would appreciate the joke. 😅

  • @javiersolis2993
    @javiersolis2993 2 роки тому +1841

    The animation is everything here.

  • @thatfuzzypotato1877
    @thatfuzzypotato1877 3 місяці тому +2

    I would place my bet on if there IS an exception, it's a new loop not a number that shoots off to infinity (in which case that number in itself would have to be proven to shoot off to infinity and not get into some other insane loop at numbers too high to comprehend)

  • @devangbajpai8608
    @devangbajpai8608 3 місяці тому +3

    If we try the polynomial 3x + 1 for negatives then we will be stuck in a loop of -7 or -1 everytime for any negative integer. Try this too!

  • @Yextiny
    @Yextiny 2 роки тому +1111

    "This math is weird because of math. We can't do enough math to solve the math - there's just too much math!"

  • @DasSkelett
    @DasSkelett 2 роки тому +1821

    Your "one of the world's greatest living mathematicians" joke totally killed me.

    • @lukelively8380
      @lukelively8380 2 роки тому +70

      I was looking for this comment lol

    • @HungryTacoBoy
      @HungryTacoBoy 2 роки тому +17

      Same here. I thought it was very clever.

    • @cortnetisjustbetter
      @cortnetisjustbetter 2 роки тому +10

      * You're , btw I am better than you

    • @MightyHashBrown
      @MightyHashBrown 2 роки тому +61

      @@cortnetisjustbetter not you’re but ok

    • @Sleepy_Joe
      @Sleepy_Joe 2 роки тому +2

      I immediately knew this would be in the comments as well lol.

  • @brucefulton
    @brucefulton 20 годин тому

    When I was pursuing the PhD and exploring research topics, I soon learned the most dangerous question, and the one no professor would sponsor was, "why?"

  • @dewaard3301
    @dewaard3301 Місяць тому

    I feel that the answer lies in a different representation of the natural numbers that kind of represent 'power of 2'-ness, and showing that that can never increase under the operations described.

  • @demensclay6419
    @demensclay6419 Рік тому +2788

    A big shoutout ot the graphics department for making this 100% more understandable!

    • @gniewko123456
      @gniewko123456 Рік тому +3

      a big shout down to yoy that you were'nt able to get such a simple equal...

    • @josiahjray
      @josiahjray Рік тому +3

      I really hope this is satire 🤣🤣

    • @gniewko123456
      @gniewko123456 Рік тому

      @@josiahjray baited :D

    • @josiahjray
      @josiahjray Рік тому

      @@gniewko123456 Hope so lol

    • @anndyarguedo4453
      @anndyarguedo4453 Рік тому +1

      Ah yes, 999 likes

  • @weedy_yeast
    @weedy_yeast 2 роки тому +1092

    I think a lot of us clicked on this video thinking:
    *”oh it can’t be that hard”*
    edit: Jesus I didn’t post this comment so ppl could just argue in the replies. It was supposed to be a joke

    • @mlpfanboy1701
      @mlpfanboy1701 2 роки тому +25

      Its only hard to find if you only work with whole numbers, at least assuming thats how mixed numbers would work
      Never mind a simple search says decimals cant be odd or even only integers, so yes it is that hard

    • @Auromaxis
      @Auromaxis 2 роки тому +2

      @@mlpfanboy1701 i just solved this lol

    • @zenixx_168
      @zenixx_168 2 роки тому +1

      @@Auromaxis what is it?

    • @EchoYoutube
      @EchoYoutube 2 роки тому +4

      It’s easy, 0.

    • @Dragon_Mawce
      @Dragon_Mawce 2 роки тому

      @@Auromaxis ?

  • @Alexa-dt8fm
    @Alexa-dt8fm 3 місяці тому

    Pascal triangle is an example of directed tree
    It is used to show how much fluctuation carbon shows in a spectrum in chemistry

    • @Alexa-dt8fm
      @Alexa-dt8fm 3 місяці тому +1

      Or rather it predicts how many fluctuations carbon can shows in its bonding with hydrogen

  • @nimamaster6128
    @nimamaster6128 2 роки тому +945

    The fact that this is the basis to making an organic shaped coral mesmerized me.

    • @ShatteredCelestial
      @ShatteredCelestial 2 роки тому +6

      wait really? lmao

    • @shibe6181
      @shibe6181 2 роки тому

      Wow 4th

    • @cristianrivas4606
      @cristianrivas4606 2 роки тому

      Can we not use decimals?

    • @Arthurgoldlizard
      @Arthurgoldlizard 2 роки тому

      it grows, makes an unpredictable, chaotic but somewhat beautiful image, and then inevitably falls back down to 1. like life and death cycle.

    • @artificialintelligenceplus1321
      @artificialintelligenceplus1321 2 роки тому

      Found the Mathematical Phenomenon A very interesting channel - " Artificial Intelligence plus lottery"

  • @TheMusicalStylingsofBrentBunn
    @TheMusicalStylingsofBrentBunn 2 роки тому +3916

    Mad respect to the animators here. That must've been a lot of work.

    • @michagiedrojc5513
      @michagiedrojc5513 2 роки тому +29

      And how much work on calculator.

    • @isidorregenfu9632
      @isidorregenfu9632 2 роки тому +42

      Looks like 3blue1brown's framework manim at work

    • @someidiot6067
      @someidiot6067 2 роки тому +2

      i agree, but there are other people that have animators do even more like haminations (he's a story time animator)

    • @quyento9108
      @quyento9108 2 роки тому +16

      Someone's back is hurtt

    • @cissedeclercq5567
      @cissedeclercq5567 2 роки тому +2

      we do or best.

  • @Guywiththetypewriter
    @Guywiththetypewriter Місяць тому +5

    Old video but heres recontextulistion thats pretty neat.
    Dividing by 2 bit shifts binary numbers to the right.
    The 4,2,1 pattern is
    100
    010
    001
    Hence, a hamming weight (number of non 0 bits in binary number ) of 1 will lead to the 4,2 ,1 pattern, no matter how large the number is. This is the same as the any number of 2^n observation but bear with me.
    Multiplying by 3 in binary is the same as adding the binary value of itself but bit shifted left by 1(and hence you have this beautiful thing where the bit shift left is the odd process, the bit shift right is the even process).
    E.g 101 (5) multiplied by 3 is
    0101 +
    1010
    1111
    An odd multiple 3 added to by 1 will always either leave the hamming number the same (if the least significant run of ones is size 1 : e.g 010001 + 1 = 010010
    Or
    Will reduce the hamming weight by n-1 where n is the size of rhe least significsnt run of 1s.
    E.g 011(hamming weight of 2) + 1 /
    = 100 (hamming weight of 1, hence 2-1 reduction has occured).
    New runs of 1's in a 3 multiplication will be isolated with size 1 max.
    Dividing an odd number by 2 will move the least significant run of ones to the least significant bit.
    This will trigger a termination eventually (with delays only guranteeing a larger reduction in hamming weight)
    ( not proven) any individual 1s end up in a run of ones before the +1 termination step.
    Hence, whilst hamming weight may increase temporarily, the overall pattern caused by the +1 termination and the limitation of of new 1 bits tending towards runs of ones, the overall hamming weight will reduce during iteration of the colletz conjecture processes.
    Hence, the hamming weight tends to 1... guranteeing the 4,2,1 loop.
    Its not quite a proof. But christ i feel like its close 😅

    • @clutchmatic
      @clutchmatic Місяць тому +1

      I like this one. My version was to argue that despite how large the number gets, application of the process results in the number going back to previously checked numbers and everything goes down to 4-2-1, so the conjecture must be true for any natural number

    • @kinetik9197
      @kinetik9197 Місяць тому

      how long did this take

    • @Guywiththetypewriter
      @Guywiththetypewriter Місяць тому

      @@kinetik9197 how u mean

    • @jenniferzeng5735
      @jenniferzeng5735 4 дні тому

      Wow …. This is actually really smart

  • @frtzkng
    @frtzkng 3 місяці тому +1

    My first thought is, since all numbers which are a power of 2, so 2^n, end up as 1, wouldn't it be easier to rephrase the problem and try to prove (or disprove) that by applying 3n+1 if odd and n/2 if even, all primes eventually give a result that is 2^n?

  • @parvizsattorov2411
    @parvizsattorov2411 2 роки тому +3591

    Looks like a good formula for generating Mountains in a virtual environment.

    • @SparinglyIsDumb
      @SparinglyIsDumb 2 роки тому +32

      Ye

    • @kalucardable
      @kalucardable 2 роки тому +47

      that's how they make roller coaster rides

    • @mosab_faozi
      @mosab_faozi 2 роки тому +39

      Perlin noise: am I a joke to you?

    • @-morrow
      @-morrow 2 роки тому +11

      not really, mountains aren't created by random processes.

    • @bmwheel1263
      @bmwheel1263 2 роки тому +39

      If you use a decimal the number will go for ever as eg: 1.23 you would x3+1 =4.69 4.69x3+1 = 15.7 the decimal number will always be multiplied by 3 leavening you with a always odd decimal. If you start with an even decimal the decimal will keep getting divided by 2 until the decimal meets 1 then it’s will continue to rise. Adding a decimal is a way to bypass the number having to turn even every time you times the number by 3 and add 1. You are welcome for me solving it.

  • @whosnico4669
    @whosnico4669 2 роки тому +1328

    him: "pick a number, any number."
    me: "eight.."
    him: "seven? good choice!"

    • @sarahsanchez150
      @sarahsanchez150 2 роки тому +15

      5... 😭😭

    • @KratonWolf
      @KratonWolf 2 роки тому +50

      Me: 0.
      Him: ok, if it's odd, × 3 + 1, if even, ÷ 2
      Me: I think you just broke your calculator.

    • @savathunthewitchqueen8299
      @savathunthewitchqueen8299 2 роки тому +4

      @@KratonWolf yeah. 0 really isn’t even or odd, so your just stuck

    • @adcgdsin9320
      @adcgdsin9320 2 роки тому +24

      @@savathunthewitchqueen8299 and even if you do plug in zero to 3n+1, you go back to one.

    • @iteratedofficial
      @iteratedofficial 2 роки тому +2

      Ikr... I picked 4...

  • @05DarkSaint
    @05DarkSaint Місяць тому

    1,2,4,8,16,32,64,128,256
    So long as 3x+1 solves for a multiple of doubling, which will also go on to infinity, then so too must the equation

  • @oinvestigard
    @oinvestigard Місяць тому

    All these numbers are beautiful, but nothing, but this one is weird, but possibily valuable.

  • @colebrew
    @colebrew 2 роки тому +656

    "Pick a number"
    -"Uh seven?"
    "Seven? Good choise!"
    -"WHAT THE-"

  • @darthenx2585
    @darthenx2585 2 роки тому +1063

    The amount of graphic work that had to be done for this video is insane.

    • @chronical
      @chronical 2 роки тому +16

      Exactly what i was thinking, i was like man props to whoever worked on this video

    • @peterh222
      @peterh222 2 роки тому +1

      Try a Captain Disillusion video ... And he does those all himself

    • @markjohnson7508
      @markjohnson7508 2 роки тому

      Really.. wow. Entropy maybe

    • @josefwakeling7103
      @josefwakeling7103 2 роки тому +2

      @@peterh222 *disillusion

    • @birchthebirch4593
      @birchthebirch4593 2 роки тому

      Listen ...don't look

  • @silencecasserole
    @silencecasserole 2 місяці тому +1

    Choosing random numbers and applying the rules until you get caught in the loop is a great way to kill time in class, I do it all the time

  • @darrenleung3684
    @darrenleung3684 2 місяці тому +7

    Schools need more material like this to inspire kids

  • @sammcdonald4
    @sammcdonald4 2 роки тому +873

    Shows a picture of himself.
    “One of the world’s greatest mathematicians…Terry Tao”
    Then includes Terry. Lol

    • @GummieI
      @GummieI 2 роки тому +40

      Yeah that was so good

    • @syedfaisal9544
      @syedfaisal9544 2 роки тому +20

      😂, That's was funny , He's also good scientist tooo

    • @dreamer097
      @dreamer097 2 роки тому +18

      12:33

    • @Cube_Box
      @Cube_Box 2 роки тому +6

      @@dreamer097 thanks

    • @rgmjr
      @rgmjr 2 роки тому +3

      Haha. I came to look for this. Haha.

  • @dabolife1
    @dabolife1 2 роки тому +44848

    Math problem no one can solve: Exists
    Me: Finally I'm not the only one who is bad at math.

    • @risav202
      @risav202 2 роки тому +1099

      Not able to do a math problem, doesn't make you bad at math.

    • @therealitygab6074
      @therealitygab6074 2 роки тому +361

      @@risav202 please explain. i dont agree

    • @segmentsAndCurves
      @segmentsAndCurves 2 роки тому +184

      @@risav202 Nah.

    • @mjzudba5268
      @mjzudba5268 2 роки тому +35

      I literally just saw you on Nas Daily...

    • @TheDarkDresser
      @TheDarkDresser 2 роки тому +82

      @@risav202
      I assume that you're not referring to math in general, just a specific math problem.
      Those of us with dyscalculia find even basic math challenging, to say the least.

  • @Fraber87
    @Fraber87 9 днів тому

    I have noticed that the numbers that have the most difficulty in going down to 1 are those that precede an even number with the characteristic of repeatedly decaying into an even number many times in a row (i.e. those that get to 1 more easily).
    Example, the even number below decays several times repeatedly into an even number, easily arriving at the number 1 (as do all the numbers belonging to the group 2x2x2x2x2x2x2):
    64 ---> 32, 16, 8, 4, 2, 1
    Both the number 63 (the previous one) and 62 (the even number before 64) both have extreme difficulty going down to 1, so the numbers preceding 64 are in the opposite condition to that of 64 (which instead decays very easily to 1, without ever rising upwards).
    So, if I choose the number 2048 ( = 2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2x2), I assume, based on the above, that 2047 and 2046 decay to 1 very slowly (having many ups and downs).

  • @dustymiller65
    @dustymiller65 13 днів тому +1

    ★ I love this math problem, it's like my life--difficult and unsolvable yet easy to live with if i purposely close my eyes. ❤️

  • @Free2Flay
    @Free2Flay 2 роки тому +619

    Two things I learned from this video:
    1. Mathematicians smile gratuitously in front of cameras.
    2. Boring subjects become interesting when they're accompanied by animated graphs.

    • @DGill48
      @DGill48 2 роки тому +4

      Two to the 68 power?? lots of time on their hands

    • @manswind3417
      @manswind3417 2 роки тому +3

      @@DGill48 Or maybe lots of mathematicians and machines in the world's hands?

    • @Matthewjames1016
      @Matthewjames1016 2 роки тому +1

      Wait til you find out .9 and 1 are equal

    • @JaseHDX
      @JaseHDX 2 роки тому

      3. wHy DoNt PeOpLe GiVe Me A cHaNcE oN yOuTuBe????!!???!!

    • @oxanamikki3326
      @oxanamikki3326 2 роки тому

      are u saying math is boring

  • @Martdogg3000
    @Martdogg3000 2 роки тому +376

    I like the amount of people who didn't watch the video for even a moment, and are just here talking about how easy it is to solve 3x+1.

    • @HakunaMatata688
      @HakunaMatata688 2 роки тому +2

      You take my words from my mind :))

    • @ItsMe-gw4kb
      @ItsMe-gw4kb 2 роки тому +3

      I watched it up to 20:57, and had a couple of thoughts along the way.
      First off, I hit the loop quickly because my chosen number is 4.
      My thoughts were that this could be considered an exercise in looking at every possible angle of a situation, which both has practical applications, and seems likely to sharpen the analytical way of thinking -- or likely to be frustrating because there is no clear answer other than the loop, without finding an alternate path.
      A good brain exercise, no question.
      Second, while looking at the visual ways to consider this, since I'm an occasional artist, I thought mapping it would be a great way to create some drawings or paintings and either add to them, based on what I saw, or call them finished. Either way, it's great for stimulating the mind.
      And if anyone chose to read all this, it's also fun to think about.

    • @beauxsmith674
      @beauxsmith674 2 роки тому +4

      12

    • @hasselbecksucks
      @hasselbecksucks 2 роки тому

      The video is 20 minutes. LoL. Of course they not going to watch it.

    • @GnarlsMSMREAL
      @GnarlsMSMREAL 2 роки тому +2

      It's 4

  • @fysics5375
    @fysics5375 5 днів тому

    You can say that y=2^x is a true solution, since that will always divide down to 1. Take all the whole answers to y=2^x, then try to find any numbers that lead into those using 3x+1. Then continue to extrapolate that out. Figure out if there are any excluded values. Working from the solution back I think would be faster.

  • @nikolaifalk803
    @nikolaifalk803 2 місяці тому

    I was tought more maths from this video than any of my classes

  • @walkastray007
    @walkastray007 2 роки тому +840

    A couple of days ago he had a poll on what colour would evens and odds would be if they had a colour. The poll decided blue as even and red as odd. In this video, he has the evens as blues and the odds as reds. I love how much he cares about his community and the little details.

    • @InsideOutAnus
      @InsideOutAnus 2 роки тому +18

      Good pickup!

    • @valval4145
      @valval4145 2 роки тому +2

      Wow I did the poll a few seconds before scrolling to the video and this comment, I was wondering what the poll was for

    • @NandR
      @NandR 2 роки тому +9

      Good catch. I like the social experiment that is in itself. That is such an arbitrary question that it should be close to 50/50. But it seems something is tilting us one way. Is it nature or society?

    • @valval4145
      @valval4145 2 роки тому +2

      @@NandR I was also thinking the same. Maybe people who prefer the color blue also prefer even numbers, or people who prefer the color red also prefer odds? Just a thought

    • @JS-jh4cy
      @JS-jh4cy 2 роки тому +1

      What about color blind people, there choices may be just a valid, pick any of the two, for maybe they are different shades of the same color??

  • @RiderGeats
    @RiderGeats 2 роки тому +5328

    Imagine being a Math Teacher and you gave an entire class an activity
    1. Solve Collatz Conjecture 3x+1 (10 pts.)

    • @BrianHartman
      @BrianHartman 2 роки тому +312

      The issue isn't solving it but proving it. :)

    • @brokenwingbird2552
      @brokenwingbird2552 2 роки тому +188

      It's not a problem, it is a pattern. There is no solution. This is literally the formula for how all life grows, 124875 this sequence repeats infinitely, with alternating "branches" of 36363636 also repeating infinitely.

    • @peregrina7701
      @peregrina7701 2 роки тому +76

      I once had a professor set the proof of the Boltzmann equation on a midterm. That proof exists but for a nonmathematician/nonphysicist (I was studying materials science) it was a beast. The equation is s = k * ln (m). Looks simple doesn't it? That was twenty years ago and I'm still traumatized. Mad props to mathematicians.

    • @ItsSchwifty
      @ItsSchwifty 2 роки тому +32

      Smart in class: *Gets 10pts*

    • @davidyansky6605
      @davidyansky6605 2 роки тому +37

      He/She would be barred from further teaching due to academic cruelty beyond comprehension.

  • @Guywiththetypewriter
    @Guywiththetypewriter 9 днів тому +1

    Hey all.
    If ur seeing this 2024 I have a treat for ya all.
    The sum of 4^n with limits k=0 to n, calculated via geometric series.... is equal to (4^(n+1) -1)/3
    -1 and then /3 .
    So any odd number in form of a sum of the powers of 4 is equal to a power of 4 when 3x+1...
    Powers of 4 then immediatly reduce to the 4 2 1 pattern...
    The pattern at the end of the conjecture is a side effect of the 2 actual proveable parts of collatz.
    Any sum of the powers of 4 multiplied by 3 and adding 1 leads to a power of 4.
    A power of 4 divided by 2 will only become odd when it reaches 1.
    1 is the sum of the powers of 4... i.e 4^0...
    The loop is caused by the coincidence of 1 being the only odd number that is both a power of 4 and a sum of powers of 4 at the same time.

  • @Symbioticism
    @Symbioticism 2 години тому

    That ending really gave me chills

  • @shiteshchourasia
    @shiteshchourasia 2 роки тому +798

    The transition at 12.33 "World's greatest living mathematician ..." was so hilarious.
    Well played sir.. well played.

    • @karlmarx828
      @karlmarx828 2 роки тому +32

      12:33

    • @blue_slime5776
      @blue_slime5776 2 роки тому +3

      Yeah It Got Me Laughing

    • @adityakrishnamalhotra1
      @adityakrishnamalhotra1 2 роки тому +4

      @@karlmarx828 i love you 😩😩
      My favourite capitalist

    • @dhruvalvyas3924
      @dhruvalvyas3924 2 роки тому +3

      He said “ONE OF THE world’s greatest living Mathematician".

    • @giornogiovanna4602
      @giornogiovanna4602 2 роки тому +2

      It seriously doesn't take effort to write 12:33
      But seeing your pfp it makes sense since its shikamaru

  • @xTANNA3
    @xTANNA3 2 роки тому +932

    Me: “tries to do it in negative”
    “Gets in a loop anyways”

    • @xTANNA3
      @xTANNA3 2 роки тому +34

      @UC-cuXojkaoATvG21be0s25w
      0 x 3 + 1 = 1
      And
      1 x 3 + 1 = 4
      then divide 4 by 2 it’s 2 then divide it again it’s 1
      And yeah we’re stuck no matter how you try it

    • @One-Trick-Pony2
      @One-Trick-Pony2 2 роки тому +8

      True

    • @Mango-rl2yg
      @Mango-rl2yg 2 роки тому +2

      This is really dumb 3x+1=3 because u plus the 0 with the 1 = 3x1
      I hate math and dont know anything about it but i still clicked on this vid

    • @frightenedsoul
      @frightenedsoul 2 роки тому +6

      @@Mango-rl2yg huh?

    • @annac.6863
      @annac.6863 2 роки тому +3

      @@Mango-rl2yg if you meant 3x+1 where x=0, the result would, indeed be zero. Anything times zero is zero, meaning 3•0=0
      From there, you add the one, giving you 1 as a result. My apologies if I misunderstood what you were trying to say!
      ❤️❤️❤️

  • @AndresFirte
    @AndresFirte 2 місяці тому +5

    Judging from the comments, the Collatz Conjecture could probably have more distinct proofs than the pythagorean theorem! And all of them from engineers, programmers, computer scientists, and amateur physicists with no formal mathematics background! Wonderful!

    • @jmodified
      @jmodified 2 місяці тому +3

      Not so distinct though. At least 80% of the "proofs" are "Over a given number of steps, the odds of the sequence going down is higher than the odds of it going up". Most of the rest are "It has to hit a power of two eventually".

    • @AndresFirte
      @AndresFirte 2 місяці тому +1

      @@jmodified oh yeah, and let’s not forget the third kind: just look at the last digit, it works for 1,2,3,4, … 8,9. And since every number has those numbers as last digits, it must work for all of them too!

    • @jmodified
      @jmodified 2 місяці тому +2

      @@AndresFirte Yes, I forgot that one. I think those three cover at least 99%.

    • @XCC23
      @XCC23 2 місяці тому +1

      The video:
      "This seems like a really easy problem which is why a lot of mathematicians are curious about it, since it's actually insanely hard"
      Laymen watching this video:
      "Pfft, this seems like a really easy problem"
      Almost like that was why it was interesting in the first place

  • @Alex_192.
    @Alex_192. 7 днів тому

    If any increasing function can be used to exclude numbers, every positive number can be excluded, meaning all loops must not include positive numbers.

  • @0oJMPo0
    @0oJMPo0 2 роки тому +1492

    "The simplest math problem no one can solve"
    My math professor: oh, looks perfect for the exam!

    • @rohangupta3363
      @rohangupta3363 2 роки тому +10

      🤗
      congrats on 300 likes

    • @Phantom-el6oe
      @Phantom-el6oe 2 роки тому +18

      It can be solved.
      Edit: So apparently this is an algorithm, so in this case:
      f(x)={1;2;3;4} or f(x)=[4;1] (those are random numbers, not a solution). This is the correct way to solve problem like this, which is what you learn in algebra classes
      There is always a solution in math, except you need to write it differently than x=7. Also, if there isn't any possible solution (like delta of an angle being less than zero), then you simply write "no answer" and close the case

    • @destros6576
      @destros6576 2 роки тому +11

      @@Phantom-el6oe ?

    • @organizedmicrowave4414
      @organizedmicrowave4414 2 роки тому +7

      @@Phantom-el6oe He's not doing an exam, are u dumb?

    • @salimkibria6955
      @salimkibria6955 2 роки тому +7

      @@Phantom-el6oe but u cant actually do that

  • @MrScientific
    @MrScientific 2 роки тому +33074

    Nice work Soviets. You got me.

    • @HottestBrownMan
      @HottestBrownMan 2 роки тому +1208

      Hitler be like :

    • @akshatvikramsingh8293
      @akshatvikramsingh8293 2 роки тому +523

      @@HottestBrownMan I was watching this video without signing in, but signed in just to like your comment buddy.

    • @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721
      @vigilantcosmicpenguin8721 2 роки тому +465

      The Cold War won't truly be won until the Collatz Conjecture is resolved.

    • @HottestBrownMan
      @HottestBrownMan 2 роки тому +114

      @@akshatvikramsingh8293 thanks mate.

    • @ultramb6206
      @ultramb6206 2 роки тому +15

      Ngl i hate your facebook page lol

  • @TheButtflyEffectAnimator
    @TheButtflyEffectAnimator 18 днів тому

    i have watched this *37* times.
    its too good.

  • @residentenigma7141
    @residentenigma7141 Місяць тому

    These people have too much time on their hands...
    And the power to them !

  • @haxexd2830
    @haxexd2830 2 роки тому +1336

    "Pick a number"
    "- Seven?"
    "Seven? Good choise!"
    "- Looks Back Carefully"

  • @danielwitham1791
    @danielwitham1791 2 роки тому +1094

    "use Benford's law for tax evasion"
    Got it

    • @ujjwal2473
      @ujjwal2473 2 роки тому +25

      next they'll invent another law for you to follow

    • @jackrobinson9403
      @jackrobinson9403 2 роки тому +37

      Ffs even when you break the law you gotta follow other laws, huh? ):

    • @von...
      @von... 2 роки тому +15

      @Soul Seeker appropriate name for someone who works at the IRS or on some other auditing team lmao

    • @von...
      @von... 2 роки тому +12

      @@jackrobinson9403 I guess "only break one law at a time" spans between the laws of our society & the laws of mathematics lmao
      don't try to divide by 0 while smoking weed kids

    • @shamsandharia123
      @shamsandharia123 2 роки тому +4

      Most tax verification algorithms are having the same function in the root file patch 🤞

  • @danmcconnell5941
    @danmcconnell5941 Місяць тому

    It’s a nonlinear dynamical system with a point attractor. It perhaps even describes the heat death of the universe. Conway’s game of life is a simple example.

  • @Colour_beaks
    @Colour_beaks 26 днів тому

    0:26 Seven is the most common number to pick, it's also has an interesting sequence

  • @Drux.i
    @Drux.i 2 роки тому +1668

    I have never been someone who liked math during school, but for some reason I find it so completely interesting to learn about on my own time.

    • @ultraslanmc4619
      @ultraslanmc4619 2 роки тому +84

      cause you don’t have an exam and your future on it while watching this video, but at school,
      yes

    • @Drux.i
      @Drux.i 2 роки тому +41

      @@ultraslanmc4619 That's a very good point! No stress to learn it 😂

    • @odiltursunov6854
      @odiltursunov6854 2 роки тому +6

      Actually i liked it at school. But it annoys me at school

    • @thelocalnecromancer1224
      @thelocalnecromancer1224 2 роки тому +17

      Same. Things are so much more interesting when you learn them on your own than when you learn them at school.

    • @Serpentis666
      @Serpentis666 2 роки тому +6

      The yearn for understanding really seems to increase with age…

  • @lovepuma6625
    @lovepuma6625 2 роки тому +839

    ".....that not even the world's best mathematicians have been able to solve. "
    Me : "Alright, tell what it is, maybe i can solve it. "

    • @captaincool9636
      @captaincool9636 2 роки тому +18

      I think it's just 10

    • @MP-ut6eb
      @MP-ut6eb 2 роки тому +55

      @@captaincool9636 42. The answer is 42.

    • @NamidaCho
      @NamidaCho 2 роки тому +2

      @@MP-ut6eb no not at all

    • @gbsantana9679
      @gbsantana9679 2 роки тому +1

      @@MP-ut6eb no, you don't know the answer if the best mathematicians don't know it. You're not that guy buddy

    • @MP-ut6eb
      @MP-ut6eb 2 роки тому +18

      @@gbsantana9679 its meme my friend. Its a meme.

  • @seroujghazarian6343
    @seroujghazarian6343 Місяць тому

    I think the reason why this works is if we start with 1 and then apply the inverses of both rules and only leaving the integers, eventually, we can get all positive integers one way or another

  • @gokulraj6404
    @gokulraj6404 3 місяці тому

    I would say that 3n+1 is trying to reach the number to the sequence of 2^n and the division of 2 is used to say "You are coming close to join my family ,but try with someone else".
    what do you think about. maybe binary representations could make it easier to understand.

  • @BioniclesaurKing4t2
    @BioniclesaurKing4t2 2 роки тому +923

    Derek: "Pick a number."
    Me: "Four."
    Derek: "…He's too dangerous to be left alive."

    • @John-CME
      @John-CME 2 роки тому +3

      heheh Good one ;)

    • @keldrean
      @keldrean 2 роки тому +5

      Four is my lucky number

    • @justajobro1266
      @justajobro1266 2 роки тому +17

      Mista: ....

    • @ndjs
      @ndjs 2 роки тому +1

      @@justajobro1266 I was waiting for that

    • @cenaytopaloglu2779
      @cenaytopaloglu2779 2 роки тому +5

      He got me at 7 tho :/

  • @adityaagarwal6719
    @adityaagarwal6719 2 роки тому +798

    "Worlds Greatest living Mathematician"
    I see what you did there.

  • @NexusMatematica
    @NexusMatematica Місяць тому +3

    ❤ A matemática é realmente encantadora 😮😮🎉 estou apaixonada!!

  • @basje_b
    @basje_b Місяць тому

    15:09 - if you count 3x-1 on the negative side you do get the same 'tree' (mirrored) as the one on the positive side...

  • @FullMetalOptimusPrime
    @FullMetalOptimusPrime 2 роки тому +692

    Honestly maths should just grow up and solve its own problems

  • @JeremySoo
    @JeremySoo 2 роки тому +1393

    Everyone: We can't solve this
    Mathematicians: It's the Soviets

    • @segmentsAndCurves
      @segmentsAndCurves 2 роки тому +29

      Fair enough.

    • @_ikako_
      @_ikako_ 2 роки тому +132

      more like
      Mathematicians: We can't solve this
      The US Government: It's the Soviets

    • @UltimateEntity
      @UltimateEntity 2 роки тому +16

      @@_ikako_ the world: Are the US joking?

    • @patricknez7258
      @patricknez7258 2 роки тому

      😂

    • @itismethatguy
      @itismethatguy 2 роки тому +15

      But it was the Soviets....every single problem is them

  • @starforge5663
    @starforge5663 2 місяці тому

    When it comes to the 3x+1 conjecture, what are we solving for? Sure we could try and prove it true or false but, what are we solving the conjecture for? What are we looking for in the equation?

  • @gaving.griffon2703
    @gaving.griffon2703 3 місяці тому +4

    So, here's my observations.
    2 to the power of any natural number will fit the conjecture. In addition, if we undo the opperation, we take (2^n)-1 and divide by 3, any output that is an odd, whole number will also fit the conjecture.
    My idea for solving it would be to see if there was a whole number that *didn't* fit the conjecture but that's just me.

  • @NurMars
    @NurMars 2 роки тому +1630

    "One of the world's greatest mathematicians... "
    *Proceeds to show himself*

    • @phucminhnguyenle250
      @phucminhnguyenle250 2 роки тому +174

      I laughed hard that.

    • @umavasu766
      @umavasu766 2 роки тому +139

      Man has some humour

    • @ClaytonSummers
      @ClaytonSummers 2 роки тому +64

      This is the comment I came looking for lol

    • @SlimShady-gs8pl
      @SlimShady-gs8pl 2 роки тому +9

      What's the timestamp for this? I just finished watching but I must not have caught that lol

    • @abdurrafi9318
      @abdurrafi9318 2 роки тому +12

      @@SlimShady-gs8pl 12:36

  • @vgrants1717
    @vgrants1717 2 місяці тому +1

    In theory, all times that the # will go down to the 4,2,1 loop is when the number is 2^x. Using that as a starting point, you could find a trend in how long it takes the number to hit 2^x. Smaller even # have an advantage because the numbers from 2^x are more concentrated there.
    Another thing is that the +1 is the only thing that makes sure that you don’t get into a different loop. The blend of addition and multiplication creates an annoying “randomness”.

    • @fos1451
      @fos1451 Місяць тому

      Without the +1 it will keep being an odd number

  • @cryofrostrs3856
    @cryofrostrs3856 2 роки тому +572

    I love on how people immediately pointed their fingers to the Soviets for an unsolvable problem

    • @toolaazy
      @toolaazy 2 роки тому +13

      I go to Confucius

    • @YOUNOTSMART
      @YOUNOTSMART 2 роки тому +3

      @@toolaazy And Confucius says

    • @anmoldeepsingh9281
      @anmoldeepsingh9281 2 роки тому +19

      @@YOUNOTSMART I am confusion, this is kansas, why this arkansoo, america eggsplain

    • @YOUNOTSMART
      @YOUNOTSMART 2 роки тому +1

      @@anmoldeepsingh9281 😭😂🤣😭😂🤣

    • @johnjonjhonjonathanjohnson3559
      @johnjonjhonjonathanjohnson3559 2 роки тому +1

      @@YOUNOTSMART no more numbers jumping on the graph

  • @koreanstallion
    @koreanstallion 15 днів тому

    I 've been waiting to get struck by a lightening and receive the answers in my singed head. I will let yo u know. Great video!

  • @Wilson_Does_Stuff
    @Wilson_Does_Stuff Місяць тому

    4:13 Background song that starts here is “Penrose’s Patterns” by Jonny Hyman