Skip to content
Logo

Hackaday

  • Home
  • Blog
  • Hackaday.io
  • Tindie
  • Contests
  • Submit
  • About

Post Tag System

1 Articles

The Collatz-O-Matic: A State Machine With Style!

October 10, 2016 by Donald Papp 2 Comments

If you have ever thought that working out a Collatz sequence by hand was alright but lacked buttons and lights, the Collatz-o-matic by [mechatronicsguy] has you covered!

collatz-o-matic-closeupThe device is a type of Tag system calculator. [mechatronicsguy] explains that a Tag system is a method of computing similar to a Turing machine; it consists of a read & write FIFO array (or tape or queue) of indeterminate length, and at every step the system reads the symbol at the “head”, deletes a fixed number of symbols from the “head”, and depending on what that first symbol was, appends one or more symbols to the “tail”. Then the process repeats with whatever new symbol is at the head.

The Collatz-o-Matic uses an RGB LED string to represent the queue, and is set up in the following way:

  1. Delete two symbols (tags) from the front of the queue.
  2. If the first symbol deleted was:
    1. A – then write BC to the rear of the queue
    2. B – then write A to the rear of the queue
    3. C – then write AAA to the rear of the queue

Numbers are as easily represented as any other symbol, and the Collatz conjecture is that no matter what integer you start with, the system (probably) always eventually reaches state 1. There is video of the device demonstrating exactly that embedded below. Continue reading “The Collatz-O-Matic: A State Machine With Style!” →

Posted in Misc HacksTagged Collatz conjecture, laser cut box, LED string, Post Tag System, RGB LED strip, state machine, Tag System, Turing machine

Search

Never miss a hack

Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us

Subscribe

If you missed it

  • Personal Reflections On Immutable Linux

    23 Comments
  • Crunching The News For Fun And Little Profit

    6 Comments
  • The End Of The Hackintosh Is Upon Us

    89 Comments
  • The Hackaday Summer Reading List: No AI Involvement, Guaranteed

    46 Comments
  • Back To The Future, 40 Years Old, Looks Like The Past

    81 Comments
More from this category

Our Columns

  • Ask Hackaday: Are You Wearing 3D Printed Shoes?

    41 Comments
  • FLOSS Weekly Episode 840: End-of-10; Not Just Some Guy In A Van

    No comments
  • Dithering With Quantization To Smooth Things Over

    12 Comments
  • Could Space Radiation Mutate Seeds For The Benefit Of Humanity?

    31 Comments
  • This Week In Security: Anthropic, Coinbase, And Oops Hunting

    7 Comments
More from this category

Search

Never miss a hack

Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us

Subscribe

If you missed it

  • Personal Reflections On Immutable Linux

    23 Comments
  • Crunching The News For Fun And Little Profit

    6 Comments
  • The End Of The Hackintosh Is Upon Us

    89 Comments
  • The Hackaday Summer Reading List: No AI Involvement, Guaranteed

    46 Comments
  • Back To The Future, 40 Years Old, Looks Like The Past

    81 Comments
More from this category

Categories

Our Columns

  • Ask Hackaday: Are You Wearing 3D Printed Shoes?

    41 Comments
  • FLOSS Weekly Episode 840: End-of-10; Not Just Some Guy In A Van

    No comments
  • Dithering With Quantization To Smooth Things Over

    12 Comments
  • Could Space Radiation Mutate Seeds For The Benefit Of Humanity?

    31 Comments
  • This Week In Security: Anthropic, Coinbase, And Oops Hunting

    7 Comments
More from this category

Recent comments

  • Elliot Williams on Personal Reflections On Immutable Linux
  • paulvdh on This Homebrew CPU Got Its Start In The 1990s
  • paulvdh on Listen To The Sound Of The Crystals
  • HappyDad on The End Of The Hackintosh Is Upon Us
  • Chris on Hacking A Guitar Into A Hurdy-Gurdy Hybrid With 3D Prints
  • Dude on Ask Hackaday: Are You Wearing 3D Printed Shoes?
  • Victor on Personal Reflections On Immutable Linux
  • Sam on Personal Reflections On Immutable Linux
  • Dude on Ask Hackaday: Are You Wearing 3D Printed Shoes?
  • Bob the builder on Long Live RSS!
Logo
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Hackaday.io
  • Tindie
  • Video
  • Submit A Tip
  • About
  • Contact Us

Never miss a hack

Follow on facebook Follow on twitter Follow on youtube Follow on rss Contact us

Subscribe to Newsletter

Copyright © 2025 | Hackaday, Hack A Day, and the Skull and Wrenches Logo are Trademarks of Hackaday.com | Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Digital Services Act
Powered by WordPress VIP

By using our website and services, you expressly agree to the placement of our performance, functionality and advertising cookies. Learn more

 

Loading Comments...