import java.io.IOException;
import java.io.InputStream;
import java.io.PrintWriter;
import java.util.Arrays;
import java.util.InputMismatchException;
import java.util.NoSuchElementException;

public class Main {
    static void solve(MyScanner in, PrintWriter out) {
        int n = in.nextInt();
        int[] p = in.nextIntArray(n);
        int a = p[0];
        int b = p[1];
        int c = p[2];
        int[] d = new int[3];
        d[0] = a;
        d[1] = b;
        d[2] = c;
        Arrays.sort(d);
        int ans = d[1] == b ? 1 : 0;
        for (int i = 3; i < n; i++) {
            a = b;
            b = c;
            c = p[i];
            d[0] = a;
            d[1] = b;
            d[2] = c;
            Arrays.sort(d);
            ans += d[1] == b ? 1 : 0;
        }
        out.println(ans);
    }

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        PrintWriter w = new PrintWriter(System.out);
        solve(new MyScanner(System.in), w);
        w.flush();
    }

    static final class MyScanner {
        static final int BUFFER_SIZE = 8192;
        private final InputStream in;
        private final byte[] buffer = new byte[BUFFER_SIZE];
        private int point;
        private int readLength;
        MyScanner(InputStream in) {
            this.in = in;
        }
        private int readByte() {
            if (point < readLength) {
                int result = buffer[point];
                point += 1;
                return result;
            }
            try {
                readLength = in.read(buffer);
            } catch (IOException e) {
                throw new AssertionError(null, e);
            }
            if (readLength == -1)
                return -1;
            point = 1;
            return buffer[0];
        }
        private static boolean isPrintableCharExceptSpace(int c) {
            return 33 <= c && c <= 126;
        }
        String next() {
            int c = readByte();
            while (!(c == -1 || isPrintableCharExceptSpace(c)))
                c = readByte();
            if (c == -1)
                throw new NoSuchElementException();
            StringBuilder b = new StringBuilder();
            do {
                b.appendCodePoint(c);
                c = readByte();
            } while (c != -1 && isPrintableCharExceptSpace(c));
            return b.toString();
        }
        long nextLong() {
            int c = readByte();
            while (!(c == -1 || isPrintableCharExceptSpace(c)))
                c = readByte();
            if (c == -1)
                throw new NoSuchElementException();
            boolean minus = false;
            if (c == '-') {
                minus = true;
                c = readByte();
            }
            long result = 0L;
            do {
                if (c < '0' || c > '9')
                    throw new InputMismatchException();
                result = result * 10L + (c - '0');
                c = readByte();
            } while (c != -1 && isPrintableCharExceptSpace(c));
            return minus ? -result : result;
        }
        int nextInt() {
            long n = nextLong();
            if (n < Integer.MIN_VALUE || n > Integer.MAX_VALUE)
                throw new InputMismatchException();
            return (int)n;
        }
        double nextDouble() {
            return Double.parseDouble(next());
        }
        int[] nextIntArray(int n) {
            int[] result = new int[n];
            for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
                result[i] = nextInt();
            return result;
        }
        private static boolean allSameLength(int[] a, int[] b, int[]... c) {
            if (a.length != b.length)
                return false;
            for (int[] element : c)
                if (a.length != element.length)
                    return false;
            return true;
        }
        private static boolean allSameLength(char[] a, char[] b, char[]... c) {
            if (a.length != b.length)
                return false;
            for (char[] element : c)
                if (a.length != element.length)
                    return false;
            return true;
        }
        void nextVerticalIntArrays(int[] a, int[] b, int[]... c) {
            if (!allSameLength(a, b, c))
                throw new IllegalArgumentException();
            for (int i = 0; i < a.length; i++) {
                a[i] = nextInt();
                b[i] = nextInt();
                for (int[] d : c)
                    d[i] = nextInt();
            }
        }
        long[] nextLongArray(int n) {
            long[] result = new long[n];
            for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
                result[i] = nextLong();
            return result;
        }
        char nextChar() {
            int c = readByte();
            while (!(c == -1 || isPrintableCharExceptSpace(c)))
                c = readByte();
            if (c == -1)
                throw new NoSuchElementException();
            return (char)c;
        }
        char[] nextCharArray(int n) {
            char[] result = new char[n];
            for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
                result[i] = nextChar();
            return result;
        }
        char[][] next2dCharArray(int n, int m) {
            char[][] result = new char[n][m];
            for (int i = 0; i < n; i++)
                for (int j = 0; j < m; j++)
                    result[i][j] = nextChar();
            return result;
        }
        void nextVerticalCharArrays(char[] a, char[] b, char[]... c) {
            if (!allSameLength(a, b, c))
                throw new IllegalArgumentException();
            for (int i = 0; i < a.length; i++) {
                a[i] = nextChar();
                b[i] = nextChar();
                for (char[] d : c)
                    d[i] = nextChar();
            }
        }
    }
}


Measured memory_bytes: 22100