using System;
using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using System.IO;
using static System.Console;
using static System.Math;
 
public class Solve{
    static public int mod = 1000000007;
    public static void Main(){
        // 方針
        // 
        int n = rint();
        int count = 0;
        int[] a = inta();
        for(int i=1;i<n-1;i++){
            if((a[i-1] < a[i] && a[i] < a[i+1]) || (a[i-1] > a[i] && a[i] > a[i+1])){
                count++;
            }
        }
        WriteLine(count);
        
        
        
        
        
    }
    static int binarysearchd(int[] a,int b){
        int leng = a.Length;
        int min = 0;
        int max = leng-1;
        while(max - min > 1){
            int mid = (min+max)/2;
            if(a[mid] < b){
                min = mid;
            }else{
                max = mid;
            }
        }
        if(a[0] >= b){
            return 0;
        }else if(a[leng-1] < b){
            return leng;
        }else{
            if(a[max] < b){
                return max+1;
            }
            return min+1;
        }
    }
    static int binarysearchu(int[] a,int b){
        int leng = a.Length;
        int min = 0;
        int max = leng-1;
        while(max - min > 1){
            int mid = (min+max)/2;
            if(a[mid] < b){
                min = mid;
            }else{
                max = mid;
            }
        }
        if(a[0] > b){
            return leng;
        }else if(a[leng-1] <= b){
            return 0;
        }else{
            if(a[max] <= b){
                return leng-(max+1);
            }
            return leng-(min+1);
        }
    }
    // 1からaまでの数字並べ替え全通り返すやつ
    static List<string> permutation(int a){var list = new List<string>();if(a == 1){list.Add("1");return list;}else{foreach(var k in permutation(a-1)){var ch = k.ToCharArray();for(int i=0;i<=ch.Length;i++){string intemp = "";if(i == 0){intemp += a.ToString();}for(int j=0;j<ch.Length;j++){intemp += ch[j].ToString();if(i == j+1){intemp += a.ToString();}}list.Add(intemp);}}}return list;}
    public static void swap(ref int a,ref int b){int temp = a;a= b;b = temp;}
    static void charswap(ref char a,ref char b){char temp = a;a= b;b = temp;}
    static int ncr(int n,int r){r = Min(r,n-r);long nn = 1;for(int i=n-r+1;i<=n;i++){nn = nn*i%mod;}long rr = 1;for(int i=1;i<=r;i++){rr = rr*i%mod;}rr = square((int)rr,mod-2);nn = nn * rr %mod;return (int)nn;}
    // a^b mod
    static int square(int a,int b){string binary = Convert.ToString(b,2);int bileng = binary.Length;long a_power = a;long value = 1;for(int i=bileng-1;i>=0;i--){if(binary[i] == '1'){value = value*a_power%mod;}a_power = a_power*a_power%mod;}return (int)value;}
    static int square2(int a,int b){long output = 1;var list = new List<long>();int sh = 1;long n = a;list.Add(a);while(sh < b){sh *= 2;n = n*n%mod;list.Add(n);}for(int i=list.Count-1;i>=0;i--){if(b > sh){b -= sh;sh /= 2;output = output*list[i]%mod;}}return (int)output;}
    //各種読取
    static string rstr(){ return ReadLine(); }
    static int rint(){ return int.Parse(ReadLine()); }
    static long rlong(){ return long.Parse(ReadLine()); }
    static string[] stra(){ return ReadLine().Split(' '); }
    static char[] chara(){ string[] a=stra();string b="";for(int i=0;i<a.Length;i++){b+=a[i];}return b.ToCharArray();}
    static int[] inta(){ string[] read_str_array = ReadLine().Split(' '); int[] return_int_array = new int[read_str_array.Length]; for(int countup_i=0;countup_i<read_str_array.Length;countup_i++){ return_int_array[countup_i] = int.Parse(read_str_array[countup_i]); } return return_int_array; }
    static int[,] inta2(int num_array,int in_array){ int[,] int_array2 = new int[num_array,in_array]; for(int i=0;i<num_array;i++){ int[] temp_array = inta(); for(int j=0;j<in_array;j++){ int_array2[i,j] = temp_array[j]; } } return int_array2; }
    static long[] longa(){ string[] read_str_array = ReadLine().Split(' '); long[] return_long_array = new long[read_str_array.Length]; for(long countup_i=0;countup_i<read_str_array.Length;countup_i++){ return_long_array[countup_i] = long.Parse(read_str_array[countup_i]); } return return_long_array; }
    static double[] doublea(){ string[] read_str_array = ReadLine().Split(' '); double[] return_double_array = new double[read_str_array.Length]; for(long countup_i=0;countup_i<read_str_array.Length;countup_i++){ return_double_array[countup_i] = long.Parse(read_str_array[countup_i]); } return return_double_array; }
    // -----------------------------
    static long divideup(long divided,long divid){ long temp_divide = divided/divid; if(divided % divid > 0){ temp_divide++; } return temp_divide; }
    static long GCD(long a,long b){ if(a < b){ long temp = a; a = b; b = temp; } if(a % b == 0){ return b; } else{ long temp = b; b = a%b; a = temp; return GCD(a,b); } }
    static long LCM(long a,long b){ return a * b / GCD(a,b); }
}

class UnionFind{
    private int[] _unionfind;
    private int[] _unionfind_size;
    
    public UnionFind(int a){
        _unionfind = new int[a];
        _unionfind_size = new int[a];
        for(int i=0;i<a;i++){
            _unionfind[i] = i;
            _unionfind_size[i] = 1;
        }
    }
    
    public int root(int x){
        if(_unionfind[x] == x) return x;
        return _unionfind[x] = root(_unionfind[x]);
    }
    
    public void unite(int a,int b){
        a = root(a);
        b = root(b);
        if(a == b) return;
        if(_unionfind_size[a] < _unionfind_size[b]){
            int temp = a;
            a = b;
            b = temp;
        }
        _unionfind[b] = a;
        _unionfind_size[a] += _unionfind_size[b];
    }
    
    public bool same(int a,int b){
        return root(a) == root(b);
    }
    
    public int size(int x){
        return _unionfind_size[root(x)];
    }
}

class PriorityQueue{
    private List<int> _priorityqueue;
    
    public void Enqueue(int a){
        _priorityqueue.Add(a);
        int num = _priorityqueue.Count-1;
        while(true){
            if(num == 0) break;
            if(_priorityqueue[(num-1)/2] < _priorityqueue[num]){ //大小逆の時弄るとこ
                int temp = _priorityqueue[(num-1)/2];
                _priorityqueue[(num-1)/2] = _priorityqueue[num];
                _priorityqueue[num] = temp;
                num = (num-1)/2;
            }else{
                break;
            }
        }
    }
    
    public int Dequeue(){
        int re = _priorityqueue[0];
        int temp = _priorityqueue[0];
        _priorityqueue[0] = _priorityqueue[_priorityqueue.Count-1];
        _priorityqueue[_priorityqueue.Count-1] = temp;
        _priorityqueue.Remove(_priorityqueue.Count-1);
        int num = 0;
        while(true){
            int swapnum = -1;
            if((num+1)*2 < _priorityqueue.Count){
                if(_priorityqueue[num*2+1] > _priorityqueue[(num+1)*2]){ //大小逆の時弄るとこ
                    swapnum = num*2+1;
                }else{
                    swapnum = (num+1)*2;
                }
            }else if(num*2+1 < _priorityqueue.Count){
                swapnum = num*2+1;
            }
            if(swapnum == -1) break;
            if(_priorityqueue[swapnum] > _priorityqueue[num]){ //大小逆の時弄るとこ
                temp = _priorityqueue[swapnum];
                _priorityqueue[swapnum] = _priorityqueue[num];
                _priorityqueue[num] = temp;
                num = swapnum;
            }else{
                break;
            }
        }
        return re;
    }
    
    public int Peek(){
        return _priorityqueue[0];
    }
    
    public int Count(){
        return _priorityqueue.Count;
    }
}



//知見
// (string) hogestr -> (char[]) hoge
    // char hoge = hogestr.ToCharArray();
// (char[]) hoge -> (string) hogestr
    // string hoge = new string(hoge);
// Dictionary hoge<string,int>
    // hoge.ContainsKey(string) -> return boolean
    // hoge[string] -> return int
    // hoge[int] -> CE
// Dictionary hoge<int1,int2>
    // hoge<int1,int2>: hoge[int1] -> return int2
    // KeyValuePair<int,int> k <-> k.Key == int1 / k.Value == int2
// SortedDictionary() > SortedList() ???
// キュー　-> 幅優先 ???
    // var queue = new Queue<int>(); queue.Enqueue() queue.Dequeue()
// スタック -> 深さ優先 ???
    // var stack = new Stack<int>(); stack.Push(hoge) stack.Pop() stackPeek() stack.Count
// if (list?.Count > 0) リストが空でもnullでもない
// ソート
    // list.Sort(StringComparer.Ordinal); listの(辞書順?)ソート
        // StringComparer.Ordinal とは
    // Array.Sort(list1,list2);
// 出力
    // foreach(var a int list){ WriteLine(a); } より
        // WriteLine(string.Join("\n", list)); が速い
    //var sw = new StreamWriter(Console.OpenStandardOutput()){AutoFlush = false};
    //    Console.SetOut(sw);
    //    出力部分
    //    Console.Out.Flush();
// 未知
    // 最小費用流
    // 二分探索の理解が浅い


Measured memory_bytes: 11092