> In the 1970s, mathematicians showed that almost all Collatz sequences — the list of numbers you get as you repeat the process — eventually reach a number that

> In the 1970s, mathematicians showed that almost all Collatz sequences — the list of numbers you get as you repeat the process — eventually reach a number that’s smaller than where you started I don’t understand why this doesn’t prove the conjecture. Like if you start with x, and you reach y: y < x, then couldn’t one reäpply the quoted statement to show there exists z: z < y < x and wouldn’t iterating of this statement eventually lead to 1 < … z < y < x