Muse September 2017

ends in the repeated string
“4, 2, 1.” In some cases, you
reach the end in just a few
steps; in other cases, it takes
thousands of steps to get
there. But no one has yet been
able to prove that there are
no exceptions to this pattern.
It’s not enough to keep trying
numbers. Without a proof,
there may always be a larger
number that doesn’t work.
Now it’s your turn. Get out
your calculator or computer
and start playing with
numbers. See what kind of
patterns you can i nd!

Ivars Peterson is a freelance writer,
DEORJJHUDQGWKHDXWKRURIbThe
Mathematical Tourist. When he can’t
get to sleep, he reads mysteries or
does word puzzles.

[ n * (10^(p+q)) + (n/2) * (10^p) + n ] / 2

When Dylan was bored at bedtime, he

ğJXUHGRXWDFRROQXPEHUSDWWHUQ7KH

IRUPXODLVEHORZ

.64&
/&84

'"-4&
4503:

A Nobel-Worthy Doodle

Barbara McClintock really won a Nobel Prize

for her work. But the doodle is a false detail.