A simple (inductive) proof for the non-existence of 2-cycles of the 3x+1 problem

DOI10.1016/J.JNT.2006.05.011MaRDI QIDQ868892zbMATH OpenOpenAlexFDO

Authors John L. Simons

Publication date 26 February 2007

Published in Journal of Number Theory (Search for Journal in Brave)

Full work available at URL https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnt.2006.05.011

zbMATH Keywords

\(3x+1\) problemlinear forms in logarithms

Mathematics Subject Classification ID

Special sequences and polynomials (11B83) Exponential Diophantine equations (11D61) Linear forms in logarithms; Baker's method (11J86)

Review text

When \(x\) is a positive integer, define \(T(x)=\frac{1}{2}(3x+1)\) if \(x\) is odd and \(T(x)=\frac{1}{2}x\) if \(x\) is even. It is conjectured that for every positive integer \(x\) the iterates of \(T\) eventually produce the cycle (1,2). A 2-cycle for the \(3x+1\) problem is a cycle having two odd local minima \(x_0\) and \(x_1\) of the shape \(x_i=a_i2^{k_i}-1\). The author provides a new proof that there are no 2-cycles other than the trivial one given by \((1,2,1,2)\). This is achieved by deriving upper and lower bounds for the quantity \(a_0a_1\) associated to a non-trivial 2-cycle and then applying work of \textit{B. M. M. de Weger} [Algorithms for Diophantine equations. CWI Tract, vol.\ 65, Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science, Amsterdam (1989; Zbl 0687.10013)] on linear forms in logarithms to deduce that the bounds are contradictory.

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Cites work

• A lower bound for linear forms in logarithms
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• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4152461 (Why is no real title available?)
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Cited in

(4)

• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 3648799 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the nonexistence of nontrivial small cycles of the \(\mu\) function in \(3x+1\) conjecture
• scientific article; zbMATH DE number 737196 (Why is no real title available?)
• On the nonexistence of $2$-cycles for the $3x+1$ problem

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