def get_cycle_length(n):
    """ 
    takes an integer 0 < n < 10000
    returns the number of steps it
    will take to get to 1
    by performing n // 2 if n is even
    and n * 3 + 1 if n is odd
    """
    steps = 1
    while ( n != 1 ):
        if n % 2 == 0:
            n = n / 2
            steps = steps + 1
        else:
            n = n * 3 + 1
            steps = steps + 1

    return steps