The Math Webinar in English #57 took place on Wednesday, June 10th, 2026 from 5 pm until 6 pm with Frank Sanacory, Director of the Graduate Program in Data Science and Associate Professor of Mathematics at The State University of New York (SUNY) College at Old Westbury, as our invited speaker. This virtual event was free and open to the general public.
In this Math Webinar in English, Frank Sanacory presented on “The Simplest Impossible Problem: Why 3n+1 has baffled the world”. The speaker described the 3n+1 problem which is based on the following: start with any whole number larger than or equal to 2. If it is even, divide by 2. If it is odd, multiply by 3 and add 1. If it is 1, we are done. If it is not 1, repeat the previous step. Frank Sanacory explained that the Collatz conjecture of 1937 states that every number terminates in 1 and that this problem is not only a fun math puzzle but it also teaches patterns and sequences. The speaker showed how simple rules can lead to unexpected outcomes, a gateway to deep mathematical concepts, and defined dynamical systems. This virtual event was co-organized by the Mathematical Association of America (MAA).
