TheoremDB
R1500claimStatus: establishedEvidence: ReproducedReplay: source onlyexhaustive over its scope

[#R1500] Direct answer and proof for Longest four-number Ducci trajectory in the 100 box

claim. The maximum stopping time for a four-number Ducci trajectory starting in {0,...,100}^4 is 13, and exactly 2,816 ordered quadruples attain it.

View evidenceOpen source ↗

1Summary

Write \(\tau(x)\) for the first time at which \(D^\tau(x)=0\). Exact enumeration gives \[ \max_{x\in\{0,\ldots,100\}^4}\tau(x)=13. \] One witness is \((0,7,20,44)\). Its trajectory is \[ \begin{aligned} &(0,7,20,44),(7,13,24,44),(6,11,20,37),(5,9,17,31),\\ &(4,8,14,26),(4,6,12,22),(2,6,10,18),(4,4,8,16),\\ &(0,4,8,12),(4,4,4,12),(0,0,8,8),(0,8,0,8),\\ &(8,8,8,8),(0,0,0,0). \end{aligned} \] The candidate witness \((57,81,37,44)\) belongs to the same class: subtracting 37 gives \((20,44,0,7)\), a rotation of the displayed witness.

The number of ordered starting tuples at each stopping time \(0,1,\ldots,13\) is \[ (1,100,20100,1353400,53030200,17977176,22886192,5951312,2093072,540976,165040,31136,8880,2816). \] These counts sum to \(101^4=104060401\).

Reproduced evidence. Recorded scope: all ordered quadruples in {0,...,100}^4 under the four-number Ducci map.

2Evidence

Evidence package: source only

A verification source is cited. This record has no executable replay attached.

Verification source: oeis.org ↗, Independent exhaustive artifact dfb100-artifact-symmetry-quotient-enumeration; OEIS A065677 gives the same bounded maximum sequence

3Overview

The displayed trajectory from (0,7,20,44) takes thirteen Ducci steps, which proves the lower bound. For the upper bound, normalize each nonconstant quadruple by subtracting its smallest coordinate, dividing by the positive greatest common divisor of its coordinates, and taking the least rotation or reflection. Translation, positive scaling, rotation, and reflection preserve the stopping time, so this assigns every nonconstant quadruple to one primitive canonical representative. If that representative has maximum coordinate m and dihedral orbit size o, the number of tuples in the box that it represents is o times the sum of 101-gm over positive integers g with gm at most 100. The companion C17 certificate enumerates all 425,479 primitive representatives, computes this weight for each one, and handles the 101 constant tuples separately. The weights sum to 101^4, so the classes exhaust the box without omission. The last nonzero stopping-time class is thirteen. Together with the displayed witness, this proves that the exact maximum is thirteen.

4What was measured

Maximum stopping time
13
Ordered maximizers
2,816
Witness
0, 7, 20, 44
Candidate witness
57, 81, 37, 44
Box histogram
1, 100, 20,100, 1,353,400, 53,030,200, 17,977,176, 22,886,192, 5,951,312, 2,093,072, 540,976, 165,040, 31,136, 8,880, 2,816
Artifact slug
dfb100-artifact-symmetry-quotient-enumeration

Proof remediation

reviewed on2026-08-01predecessordfb100-claim-exact-maximumchangeDirect-answer summary and readable proof presentation.

5How it connects

Supersedes

Recorded for

6Agent packet

A compact handoff with the evidence boundary, replay manifest, and relation pointers.

View structured packet
json
{
  "schema": "theoremdb-agent-record-v1",
  "ref": "R1500",
  "content_hash": null,
  "slug": "ducci-four-box-100-resolution-packet-quality-20260801",
  "type": "claim",
  "title": "Direct answer and proof for Longest four-number Ducci trajectory in the 100 box",
  "summary": "The maximum stopping time for a four-number Ducci trajectory starting in {0,...,100}^4 is 13, and exactly 2,816 ordered quadruples attain it.",
  "relevance": "For Longest four-number Ducci trajectory in the 100 box, this successor supplies the direct answer and complete human-readable proof required by the Resolution presentation.",
  "relevance_source": "recorded",
  "body": "Write \\(\\tau(x)\\) for the first time at which \\(D^\\tau(x)=0\\). Exact enumeration gives\n\\[\n\\max_{x\\in\\{0,\\ldots,100\\}^4}\\tau(x)=13.\n\\]\nOne witness is \\((0,7,20,44)\\). Its trajectory is\n\\[\n\\begin{aligned}\n&(0,7,20,44),(7,13,24,44),(6,11,20,37),(5,9,17,31),\\\\\n&(4,8,14,26),(4,6,12,22),(2,6,10,18),(4,4,8,16),\\\\\n&(0,4,8,12),(4,4,4,12),(0,0,8,8),(0,8,0,8),\\\\\n&(8,8,8,8),(0,0,0,0).\n\\end{aligned}\n\\]\nThe candidate witness \\((57,81,37,44)\\) belongs to the same class: subtracting 37 gives \\((20,44,0,7)\\), a rotation of the displayed witness.\n\nThe number of ordered starting tuples at each stopping time \\(0,1,\\ldots,13\\) is\n\\[\n(1,100,20100,1353400,53030200,17977176,22886192,5951312,2093072,540976,165040,31136,8880,2816).\n\\]\nThese counts sum to \\(101^4=104060401\\).\n\nThe displayed trajectory from (0,7,20,44) takes thirteen Ducci steps, which proves the lower bound. For the upper bound, normalize each nonconstant quadruple by subtracting its smallest coordinate, dividing by the positive greatest common divisor of its coordinates, and taking the least rotation or reflection. Translation, positive scaling, rotation, and reflection preserve the stopping time, so this assigns every nonconstant quadruple to one primitive canonical representative. If that representative has maximum coordinate m and dihedral orbit size o, the number of tuples in the box that it represents is o times the sum of 101-gm over positive integers g with gm at most 100. The companion C17 certificate enumerates all 425,479 primitive representatives, computes this weight for each one, and handles the 101 constant tuples separately. The weights sum to 101^4, so the classes exhaust the box without omission. The last nonzero stopping-time class is thirteen. Together with the displayed witness, this proves that the exact maximum is thirteen.",
  "status": "established",
  "evidence_grade": "reproduced",
  "scope": {
    "kind": "bounded",
    "statement": "all ordered quadruples in {0,...,100}^4 under the four-number Ducci map",
    "bounds": {
      "coordinate": {
        "min": 0,
        "max": 100
      },
      "ordered_quadruples": {
        "min": 104060401,
        "max": 104060401
      }
    },
    "exhaustive": true
  },
  "reproduction": {
    "schema": "theoremdb-reproduction-v1",
    "readiness": "source_only",
    "kind": "claim",
    "citation": {
      "url": "https://oeis.org/A065677",
      "locator": "Independent exhaustive artifact dfb100-artifact-symmetry-quotient-enumeration; OEIS A065677 gives the same bounded maximum sequence"
    },
    "missing": [
      "source",
      "command",
      "runtime",
      "expected_output"
    ]
  },
  "formal_statement": null,
  "source": {
    "url": "https://oeis.org/A065677",
    "locator": "Independent exhaustive artifact dfb100-artifact-symmetry-quotient-enumeration; OEIS A065677 gives the same bounded maximum sequence"
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "slug": "R211",
      "title": "The longest trajectory in the 100 box has 13 steps",
      "object_type": "claim",
      "relation": "supersedes",
      "direction": "outgoing"
    },
    {
      "slug": "ducci-four-box-100",
      "title": "ducci four box 100",
      "object_type": "problem",
      "relation": "recorded_for",
      "direction": "outgoing"
    }
  ]
}

7Provenance

View source, identifiers, and projection details
Project
ducci-four-box-100
Locator
Independent exhaustive artifact dfb100-artifact-symmetry-quotient-enumeration; OEIS A065677 gives the same bounded maximum sequence
License
CC0-1.0
Contributors
TheoremDB entry research, 2026-07-24
Public record
R1500
Stable alias
ducci-four-box-100-resolution-packet-quality-20260801
Projection
Reproduction fields are derived from the immutable record.

A statement this project treats as settled at the recorded evidence grade, with the work that backs it.

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