 The Collatz Conjecture is a deceptively simple problem that has stumped even the brightest Mathematical minds for decades. So, what is the Collatz Conjecture? The Collatz conjecture states that if you start with any positive integer and repeatedly apply the rules: divide by 2 if even, or multiply by 3 and add 1 if odd, you will eventually reach the number 1, no matter which number you start with; essentially, it proposes that this simple process always leads to the number 1 regardless of the starting point, but it remains unproven mathematically. The Collatz Conjecture comes from famous mathematician Lothar Collatz (1910-1990) in 1937, two years after his doctorate. There are many statements from various mathematicians about the difficulty of this problem, for example Paul Erdos-The father of discrete mathematics and now a foundational part of computer science- said “Mathematics may not be ready for such a problem". Although the problem remains unsolved, there are many partial results and new techniques that have risen. Terrance Tao, the best mathematician alive studying in multiple fields and referred to as the “Mozart of Math”, has made the most significant partial solution to this problem. On September 9th, 2019, Tao published an article on arXiv- a free online archive for research papers- that proved that the Collatz conjecture is “almost” true for “almost” all numbers. Although Tao’s result is not a full proof of the conjecture, it is a major advance on a problem that does not give up its secrets easily. "I wasn’t expecting to solve this problem completely,” said Tao, a mathematician at the University of California, Los Angeles. “But what I did was more than I expected.". Why does this matter? The Collatz Conjecture is an example of how a seemingly simple math problem can lead to deep mysteries. Open problems like this one can be solved by amateurs, but not very often. Can the next major step to the solution come from someone unexpected?
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 Why is no one addressing what is going on in the Congo? The DRC is currently facing one of the world's worst humanitarian and food insecurity disasters, with 25.4 million people (about the population of Texas) being food insecure and 7.3 million are currently displaced. The country has also suffered impacts of climate crisis with more frequent and severe weather causing droughts and floods. Rwanda rebels, referred to as M23, have entered the country's South Kivu provincial capital on Friday evening and they will continue their advance on Saturday. This group continues to advance despite calls for a ceasefire. Just last month M23 seized Goma, the main city in the mineral-rich east and hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes in the recent weeks and the crisis has killed 2000. The latest fighting is a major escalation of a conflict over power, identity, and resources dating back to the 1990s Rwandan genocide and the fall of the dictator Mobutu Sese Seko in the country that was known as Zaire at the time. What is M23 exactly? M23 refers to a March 23,2009 accord that ended a previous Tutsi-led revolt in eastern Congo, is a group of ethnic Tutsi-led insurgents made to take up arms against Congolese forces. The group has accused the Congo government of not upholding the peace deal and fully integrating Congolese Tutsis in the army and administration. The group vows to defend Tutsi interests, against ethnic Hutu militias such as the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda which is also known as FDLR. The FDLR was founded by Hutus who fled Rwanda after participating in the 1994 genocide that killed 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus. For about a year now, M23 has taken complete authority over Congo’s mining region of Rubaya, generating 800,000 dollars per month through production tax. Despite repeated attempts from many African leaders, negotiations to defuse the crisis have made no progress.
Citations: Image from AP World News Reuters. Democratic Republic of Congo: What’s Happening and Why Are M23 Rebels Fighting? | Reuters, 14 Feb. 2025, www.reuters.com/world/africa/what-is-happening-congo-why-are-m23-rebels-fighting-2025-01-29/. Ross, Will. “DR Congo Conflict: M23 Rebels Capture Airport as They Advance towards Bukavu.” BBC News, BBC, 14 Feb. 2025, www.bbc.com/news/articles/cvgmj00zjrpo. Save the Children International. “What’s Happening in the Democratic Republic of the Congo?” Save the Children International, www.savethechildren.net/stories/whats-happening-democratic-republic-congo. Accessed 15 Feb. 2025. Hi, welcome to our blog! In this blog we will talk about many issues and will remain impartial on political issues. Our main focuses are STEM and Political issues, but we will gladly open to writing about more in the future. We are two high school students who decided to make this blog so we can talk about issues we are passionate about and allow it to reach more people. Please recommend this blog to your friends and family. Thank you for reading. |
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