#include <cstdio>
#include <iostream>
#include <string>
#include <sstream>
#include <stack>
#include <algorithm>
#include <cmath>
#include <queue>
#include <map>
#include <set>
#include <cstdlib>
#include <bitset>
#include <tuple>
#include <assert.h>
#include <deque>
#include <bitset>
#include <iomanip>
#include <limits>
#include <chrono>
#include <random>
#include <array>
#include <unordered_map>
#include <functional>
#include <complex>
#include <numeric>
template<class T> inline bool chmax(T& a, T b) { if (a < b) { a = b; return 1; } return 0; }
template<class T> inline bool chmin(T& a, T b) { if (a > b) { a = b; return 1; } return 0; }
//constexpr long long MAX = 5100000;
constexpr long long INF = 1LL << 60;
constexpr int inf = 1000000007;
constexpr long long mod = 1000000007LL;
//constexpr long long mod = 998244353LL;
const long double PI = acos((long double)(-1));

using namespace std;
typedef unsigned long long ull;
typedef long long ll;
typedef long double ld;

bool c(vector<int>& v) {
    if (v[0] == v[1] or v[1] == v[2] or v[0] == v[2]) return false;
    if (v[0] < v[1] and v[1] > v[2]) return true;
    if (v[0] > v[1] and v[1] < v[2]) return true;
    return false;
}
int main()
{
    /*
    cin.tie(nullptr);
    ios::sync_with_stdio(false);
    */

    int n; cin >> n;
    vector<int> a(n); for (int i = 0; i < n; i++) cin >> a[i];
    int res = 0;
    for (int i = 0; i <= n - 3; i++) {
        vector<int> v = { a[i], a[i + 1],a[i + 2] };
        if (c(v)) res++;
    }
    cout << res << endl;
    return 0;
}