>hits blunt
Alright, so hear me out.
Why are all of these math motherfuckers ignoring that 3x+1 does not work the same on negative numbers? In everything I’ve read, these assholes say that -5 and -17 loops, when in fact it’s an entirely different equation.
In negative land, 3x+1 is really subtracting from the real number. So it would be like saying 3x-1 is the same equation.
If we use the number 5 as an example
5x3+1=16
16/2=8
8/2=4
4/2=2
2/2=1
Or
-5x3+1=-14
-14/2=-7
-7x3+1=-20
-20/2=-10
-10/2=-5
It’s totally fucking different.
-5x3-1=-16
-16/2=-8
-8/2=-4
-4/2=-2
-2/2=-1

This makes way more sense and knocks out the notion that there may be other loops. 4,2,1 is the only loop. (Fuck zero, doesn’t count)