Multiple choice general knowledge science & technology

Take any whole number greater than 0. Take half of it if it is even or triple it and add one if it is odd. Repeat over and over again. You'll always get the same result which is?

  1. 12

  2. 2

  3. 0

  4. 1

Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
D Correct answer
Explanation

This describes the Collatz conjecture algorithm. Starting from any positive integer and applying the rules (if even: n/2, if odd: 3n+1), the sequence eventually reaches the cycle 4, 2, 1 and then stays at 1 indefinitely. All tested numbers converge to 1.