TY  - RPRT
A1  - Sultanow, Eldar
A1  - Koch, Christian
A1  - Cox, Sean
T1  - Collatz Sequences in the Light of Graph Theory
N2  - It is well known that the inverted Collatz sequence can be represented as a graph or a tree. Similarly, it is acknowledged that in order to prove the Collatz conjecture, one must demonstrate that this tree covers all (odd) natural numbers. A structured reachability analysis is hitherto not available. This paper investigates the problem from a graph theory perspective. We define a tree that consists of nodes labeled with Collatz sequence numbers. This tree will be transformed into a sub-tree that only contains odd labeled nodes. The analysis of this tree will provide new insights into the structure of Collatz sequences. The findings are of special interest to possible cycles within a sequence. Next, we describe the conditions which must be fulfilled by a cycle. Finally, we demonstrate how these conditions could be used to prove that the only possible cycle within a Collatz sequence is the trivial cycle, starting with the number 1, as conjectured by Lothar Collatz.
KW  - Collatz
KW  - Cayley Graph
KW  - Free Group
KW  - Reachability
Y1  - 2020
UR  - https://publishup.uni-potsdam.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/44185
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus4-441859
ER  -