Collatz Conjecture: Structural Convergence from Remainder Elimination — The Unique Non-Zero Remainder of Division by 2 and the Three-Parameter Lockdown of 3n+1 (V3)

A remainder-elimination proof of the Collatz conjecture, independent of and complementary to the Euler/Fourier path (V2, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20504449). Core observation: +1 is the unique non-zero remainder of n divided by 2 (n mod 2 = 1); adding it eliminates the remainder, achieving integer division. The Collatz operation reduces to: repeatedly eliminate the unique remainder → integer division → produce factors of 2. Two structural theorems are proved: (1) Deterministic staircase: when v₂(n+1) ≥ 2, the next odd number has v₂ decreased by exactly 1; (2) Free jump: when v₂(n+1) = 1, v₂(3n+1) ≥ 2 identically (at least two new factors of 2). These establish a process of non-increasing cost (remainder always 1), guaranteed integer division at every step, deterministic factor-stripping, and ubiquitous targets (2^k exist above and below). Such a process must reach some 2^k in finitely many steps, whence pure division by 2 reaches 1. The paper further proves that (d,m,c) = (2,3,1) is the unique convergent point in parameter space: d=2 is the only positive integer with a single non-zero remainder (d−1=1); the unique remainder +1 yields a universal divisibility constant k=2 (expectation of v₂, independent of m), giving critical multiplier 2²=4; m=3 is the only odd integer with 1<m<4; c=1 is the only non-zero remainder of d=2. Remainder splitting overwhelms net contraction: systems with d≥4 diverge even when the net factor is below 1 (verified: d=4,m=3 converges only 4%; d=8,m=3 only 1.7%). Bilingual (Chinese and English PDFs).

Authors

Publication Details

Journal
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Published
2026-06-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.20681252
Primary Topic
Benford’s Law and Fraud Detection
Type
preprint
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
preprint

Collatz Conjecture: Structural Convergence from Remainder Elimination — The Unique Non-Zero Remainder of Division by 2 and the Three-Parameter Lockdown of 3n+1 (V3)

Lixin(Dirk) Wang
Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Benford’s Law and Fraud Detection
preprint

Collatz Conjecture: Structural Convergence from Remainder Elimination — The Unique Non-Zero Remainder of Division by 2 and the Three-Parameter Lockdown of 3n+1 (V3)

Lixin(Dirk) Wang
preprint en

Abstract

A remainder-elimination proof of the Collatz conjecture, independent of and complementary to the Euler/Fourier path (V2, DOI 10.5281/zenodo.20504449). Core observation: +1 is the unique non-zero remainder of n divided by 2 (n mod 2 = 1); adding it eliminates the remainder, achieving integer division. The Collatz operation reduces to: repeatedly eliminate the unique remainder → integer division → produce factors of 2. Two structural theorems are proved: (1) Deterministic staircase: when v₂(n+1) ≥ 2, the next odd number has v₂ decreased by exactly 1; (2) Free jump: when v₂(n+1) = 1, v₂(3n+1) ≥ 2 identically (at least two new factors of 2). These establish a process of non-increasing cost (remainder always 1), guaranteed integer division at every step, deterministic factor-stripping, and ubiquitous targets (2^k exist above and below). Such a process must reach some 2^k in finitely many steps, whence pure division by 2 reaches 1. The paper further proves that (d,m,c) = (2,3,1) is the unique convergent point in parameter space: d=2 is the only positive integer with a single non-zero remainder (d−1=1); the unique remainder +1 yields a universal divisibility constant k=2 (expectation of v₂, independent of m), giving critical multiplier 2²=4; m=3 is the only odd integer with 1<m<4; c=1 is the only non-zero remainder of d=2. Remainder splitting overwhelms net contraction: systems with d≥4 diverge even when the net factor is below 1 (verified: d=4,m=3 converges only 4%; d=8,m=3 only 1.7%). Bilingual (Chinese and English PDFs).

Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Benford’s Law and Fraud Detection
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.