Examples of "eventually reaches y under iteration" other than the Collatz problem
An alternative is $$ x_{k+1} = \left\{ \begin{array} {} x_k /2 & \text{if } x_k \equiv 0 \pmod 2 \\ 3 x_k+1 & \text{if } x_k \equiv 1 \pmod 4 \\ 3 x_k-1 & \text{if } x_k \equiv 3 \pmod 4 \\ \end{array} \right. $$
This is -more than the Collatz-transformation- even guaranteed to run into the trivial cycle for every positive starting number $x_0$
If we write the trajectories displaying only the odd natural numbers and always beginning at odd multiples of 3 (because multiples of 3 cannot occur in the tail of a trajectory) we get $$ \begin{array} {} 3 &\to 1 \\ 9 &\to 7 &\to 5 & \to 1 \\ 15 &\to 11 &\to 1 \\ 21 &\to 1 \\ 27 &\to 5 &\to 1 \\ 33 &\to 25 &\to 19 &\to 7 &\to \text{(see above)}\\ ... \\ \end{array}$$
Tightly related are version like $5x+1$ where the following division is made by $2$ or $3$ depending on the modular residue class, where then apparently everything runs into the trivial cycle. (But well, these are not really qualitatively different ideas)
Let the set $X$ the positive integers which are divisible by $9$. Let the transformation $\sigma$ be the operation of computing the digit sum.
Then taking any element from $X$ and applying repeatedly $\sigma$ gives $y=9$.
A similar recursive algorithm can be based on “good numbers”. Given any Integer n, the sum of the digits of n^2 is the “good number" of n. The relation is surjective (many Integers have the same good number)
For example:
2713^2 = 7360369,
7+3+6+0+3+6+9 = 34,
34 is the good number of 2713.
We can recursively calculate the good number of 34,
34^2 = 1156,
1+1+5+6 = 13,
13 is the good number of 34,
We carry on
13^2 = 169
1+6+9 = 16
16 is the good number of 13
and so on.
So doing we see Integers connected into 3 convergent trees, respectively converging towards three “attractors” which are 1, 9, and the couple 13-16. See graph of the 3 converging trees here
COMPLEMENTARY NOTE
Given an Integer n we know that the sum of its digits S(n) is congruent to n modulo 9
n ≡ S(n) (modulo 9)
(n and S(n) have the same remainder when divided by 9)
So any Integer can be written as n = 9k + r
and its square n^2 = (9k + r)^2
or (81k^2 + 18kr + r^2) or (9k’ + r^2)
The table r 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
r^2 1 4 9 16 25 36 49 64
r^2 mod 9 1 4 0 7 7 0 4 1
shows that good numbers can only be of the form
9k, 9k + 1, 9k + 4, 9k + 7
The first few are given below:
9k, 9k + 1, 9k + 4, 9k + 7
k=0 0 1 4 7
k=1 9 10 13 16
k=2 18 19 22 25
k=3 27 28 31 34
k=4 36 37 40 43