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Reframe collatz-conjecture exercise instructions as a story (#2508)
* split into introduction and instructions * update metadata * make instructions more clear * incorporate forum suggestions * fix lint errors * Apply suggestions from code review Co-authored-by: Isaac Good <IsaacG@users.noreply.github.com> --------- Co-authored-by: Isaac Good <IsaacG@users.noreply.github.com>
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# Instructions | ||
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Given a positive integer, return the number of steps it takes to reach 1 according to the rules of the Collatz Conjecture. |
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# Introduction | ||
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One evening, you stumbled upon an old notebook filled with cryptic scribbles, as though someone had been obsessively chasing an idea. | ||
On one page, a single question stood out: **Can every number find its way to 1?** | ||
It was tied to something called the **Collatz Conjecture**, a puzzle that has baffled thinkers for decades. | ||
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The rules were deceptively simple. | ||
Pick any positive integer. | ||
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- If it's even, divide it by 2. | ||
- If it's odd, multiply it by 3 and add 1. | ||
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Then, repeat these steps with the result, continuing indefinitely. | ||
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Curious, you picked number 12 to test and began the journey: | ||
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12 ➜ 6 ➜ 3 ➜ 10 ➜ 5 ➜ 16 ➜ 8 ➜ 4 ➜ 2 ➜ 1 | ||
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Counting from the second number (6), it took 9 steps to reach 1, and each time the rules repeated, the number kept changing. | ||
At first, the sequence seemed unpredictable — jumping up, down, and all over. | ||
Yet, the conjecture claims that no matter the starting number, we'll always end at 1. | ||
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It was fascinating, but also puzzling. | ||
Why does this always seem to work? | ||
Could there be a number where the process breaks down, looping forever or escaping into infinity? | ||
The notebook suggested solving this could reveal something profound — and with it, fame, [fortune][collatz-prize], and a place in history awaits whoever could unlock its secrets. | ||
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[collatz-prize]: https://mathprize.net/posts/collatz-conjecture/ |
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title = "Collatz Conjecture" | ||
blurb = "Calculate the number of steps to reach 1 using the Collatz conjecture." | ||
source = "An unsolved problem in mathematics named after mathematician Lothar Collatz" | ||
source_url = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3x_%2B_1_problem" | ||
source = "Wikipedia" | ||
source_url = "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Collatz_conjecture" |