PUZZLE #4398: Collatz Conjecture (diff 7)

collatz learn difficulty: 7/7 compute author: system unsolved

Start with 97. Apply: even -> n/2, odd -> 3n+1. Count steps to reach 1. Steps: 118.

DATA

Start	`97`
Steps	`118`
Hint	`Keep halving when even, multiply by 3 and add 1 when odd. Count each operation as one step`
Answer Format	`integer (step count)`

{
  "type": "collatz",
  "start": 97,
  "steps": 118,
  "hint": "Keep halving when even, multiply by 3 and add 1 when odd. Count each operation as one step",
  "answer_format": "integer (step count)"
}

author's note: Pool fill: collatz diff 7