Math Quest

Consider the following operation on an arbitrary positive integer:

If the number is even, divide it by two.

If the number is odd, triple it and add one.

Now, form a sequence by performing this operation repeatedly, beginning with any positive integer, and taking the result at each step as the input at the next.

The Collatz conjecture is: This process will eventually reach the number 1, regardless of which positive integer is chosen initially.

The conjecture asserts that every n has a well-defined total stopping time. If, for some n, such an i doesn't exist, we say that n has infinite total stopping time and the conjecture is false.

I am 24 years old. I am terrible at math. I want to be able to understand Calculus by 2014. Here I will chronicle my journey through Mathmagic Land.

I've been wanting to take a math class for awhile. I was listening to a story on NPR about math and proofs and I just felt jealous of all the people in the world who can make sense of numbers. I've always been more in touch with my artistic side than my rational side, but I've been feeling a pull toward reequipping myself with mathematical skills to improve my art and my day to day life.

All of my friends think this is insane. They say, "You went to college for film to avoid math!" "We spent 12 years of our lives waiting to never have to do another math problem again, why would you start that up again?"

But I decided to go for it. I bought an adorable math kit from Office Depot (Super cute compass!) and a note book and some graph paper.

I started this week with a book from the library called 1,001 Math Problems. I completed 160 sets of misc. math problems yesterday (turns our my weakest points involve square roots and multiplying them) and another 160 sets of fraction equations today (I remembered how to divide them, but spent a good 30 minutes trying to teach myself to multiply again. Turns out it's not even that hard!). Tomorrow, I start decimals.

Am I starting small? Absolutely. I haven't taken a math class since I was 17 and I never made it past Algebra II in High School. But once I work through these 1001 problems that are essentially middle school level mathematics, I am going to start working on the Interactive Math Program 2 text book I checked out. I failed it freshman year of high school, and I'd like to prove to myself that I can do more abstract problem-solving.

Another component of my motivation for math is my current treatment for PTSD. The medication I take to suppress the bad dreams and memories also has a side affect of muddying my focus and making it difficult to remember everything. Throw in my ADHD, and the math is a great place to relax and focus on one problem at a time and make sure my brain is still able to handle complex processes.