JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<script>
var _$parentEntry = null;

$(document).ready(function() {
    _$parentEntry = $("#Console");
});
    
function Debout() {
    var $logEntry = null;
    var $parentEntry = _$parentEntry;

    var logEntry = function() {
        if ($logEntry) return $logEntry;

        $logEntry = $("<div class='logEntry'></div>");
        $parentEntry.append($logEntry);
        
        _$parentEntry = $logEntry;
        return $logEntry;
    }
    
    this.print = function(text) {
        logEntry().append("<span>" + text + "</span>");
    }
    
    this.close = function() {
        _$parentEntry = $parentEntry;
    }
}

function findSequence(goal) {
  function find(start, history) {
    var res = null;

    var debout = new Debout();
    debout.print("<b>find(" + start + ", \"" + history + "\")</b>");
    
    if (start == goal)
    {
      debout.print(" returns \"" + history + "\"");
      res = history;
    }
    else if (start > goal)
    {
      debout.print(" returns null");
      res = null;
    }
    else
    {
      var oneResult = null;
      var otherResult = null;
      
      debout.print(" -- trying with " + start + " + 5...");
      oneResult = find(start + 5, "(" + history + " + 5)");
      
      if (oneResult == null)
      {
        debout.print("...no good. Trying with " + start + " * 3...");
        otherResult = find(start * 3, "(" + history + " * 3)");
        
        if (otherResult == null)
        {
          debout.print("...also no good.");
        }
        else
        {
          debout.print("...fine.");
        }
      }
      else
      {
        debout.print("...fine.");
      }
      
      debout.print(" returns " + (oneResult || otherResult || "null"));
      res = oneResult || otherResult;
    }

    debout.close();
    return res;
  }
  
  return find(1, "1");
}

</script>

Goal: <input id="Goal" type="text" value="24" />
<button onclick="$('#Result').text(findSequence(parseInt($('#Goal').val())))">Find sequence</button>

<div...

CSS

#Result
{
    background-color: black;
    padding: 1em;
    font-size: 1.4em;
    font-weight: bold;
    color: white;
}

.logEntry
{
    --margin-left: 0.5em;
    padding-left: 1em;
    border-left: 1px solid #c0c0c0;
}