This analysis verifies the Collatz conjecture by exploring operations and developing a new mathematical framework.
I attempt to verify the Collatz conjecture. Through careful examination, I find that the evolution of the iterated values before reaching 1 can be characterized by four types of operations. Two dynamical models are constructed to demonstrate that the values necessarily decrease. However, these models do not explain the mechanism by which the value ultimately reaches 1. To address this limitation, I introduce a mathematical framework termed the Collatz rope model, in which each rope consists of an odd terminal value together with the even numbers generated by multiplying that value by powers of two. Within this framework, I derive a criterion that determines whether the final value becomes 1, and I show that all iterative sequences satisfy this criterion. Furthermore, it is established that the iterated values cannot diverge to infinity. Taken together, these results lead me to conclude that the Collatz conjecture holds for all natural numbers.
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Fumihidé Shiraishi (2026) studied this question.
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