一个让数学家着迷了一个世纪的梗

The Collatz conjecture is addictive, deceptively simple and could eventually be solved by AI. Jacob Aron explores the puzzle’s origins IN THE 1930s, a mathematician came up with a puzzle that was so seemingly simple and yet so fiendishly difficult that it has been distracting other mathematicians ever since. It has become a meme that jumps from brain to brain, with many people claiming to have solved it, only to have their hopes dashed as the proof unravels. And be warned – once I explain the rules, you will immediately want to start playing around with it yourself, and I take no responsibility for how much of your time you waste. It starts a bit like a magic trick. …