# Automate the Boring Stuff - Collatz Exercise

I wrote the following code for the Collatz exercise: The Collatz Sequence

Any feedback is appreciated.

Write a function named collatz() that has one parameter named number. If number is even, then collatz() should print number // 2 and return this value. If number is odd, then collatz() should print and return 3 * number + 1.

def collatz(n):
while n > 1:
if n % 2 == 0:
n = int(n // 2)
print (n)
elif n % 2 == 1:
n = int(3 * n + 1)
print (n)

n = int(input("Enter a number: "))
collatz (n)

• @drapozo It would be welcome if you'd provide either a link or a small description of the problem. – dfhwze Jun 6 at 6:39
• It´s a problem form the Book automate the boring stuff with python. The problem is "The Collatz Sequence" and can be found in this link. automatetheboringstuff.com/chapter3 – drapozo Jun 7 at 14:27

A few simple observations:

•     if n % 2 == 0:
...
elif n % 2 == 1:
...


Here, we know that if n % 2 isn't 0, it must be 1, since n is an integer. So that elif can be simply else, making it simpler to read. More experienced programmers will reverse the test, knowing that 1 is the only truthy result of n % 2, so write if n % 2: ... ; else ....

•     if ...:
...
print (n)
else:
...
print (n)


The print that's present in both branches could be placed after the if/else, since it doesn't depend on the condition.

• The results of the arithmetic expressions are already int, so no conversion is necessary.

• The if/else could be reduced to a single line:

n = 3 * n + 1 if n % 2 else n // 2


but to me, that looks less clear, so I don't recommend that level of terseness here.

# Modified code

Applying the observations above, I get a simpler version of the function:

def collatz(n):
while n > 1:
if n % 2:
n = 3 * n + 1
else:
n = n // 2
print(n)

• Thanks for your observations. In the simpler version you wrote i think you meant if n % 2 == 1. – drapozo Jun 7 at 14:24
• No, I didn't mean if n % 2 == 1. Because n % 2 can only be 0 or 1, it's simpler to just test whether n % 2 is truthy. – Toby Speight Jun 10 at 8:34