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From: leichter@yale-com.UUCP (Jerry Leichter)
Newsgroups: net.math
Subject: Re: Number theory question
Message-ID: <2145@yale-com.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 10-Oct-83 13:28:45 EDT
Article-I.D.: yale-com.2145
Posted: Mon Oct 10 13:28:45 1983
Date-Received: Mon, 10-Oct-83 22:50:33 EDT
References: sdchema.884
Lines: 10

I believe this problem is due to Stanislaw [?] Ulam; the last I heard, it was
not known whether the algorithm settles into a cycle.  (There is a small
number - 41 or somewhere near there - that produces a VERY long run
before settling down.  Come to think of it, it may not even be know if
the algorithm EVER settles down, starting on that number.)

Ulam's conjecture has been discussed more than once in the Scientific
American Mathematical Games section.
							-- Jerry
					decvax!yale-comix!leichter leichter@yale