We unpack the Collatz problem—start with any positive integer, and repeatedly halve if even or multiply by three and add one if odd—to see if every sequence eventually reaches 1. Through examples like 12 and the famous 27, we explore why this seemingly tiny rule defies a full proof, discuss Tao’s partial progress, the reverse-tree approach, and what this tells us about the limits—and surprises—of modern mathematics.

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