This conjecture applies a set of rules to a number repeatedly, and is guaranteed to produce 1 after a certain number of times run. (That count is what your program is printing.) The rules are as follows:  If the number is even, divide it by two to get  x = x / 2   If the number is odd, multiply it by three, then add one to get  x = x * 3 + 1    This check for even/odd is run every time you repeat the conjecture. Once the check has happened, the program responds accordingly and continues until it reaches 1, counting how many repetitions are required to reach 1. This code was built in java and is meant to be for a code golf challenge hence why it is so short.