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In mathematics, a constructive proof is a method of proof that demonstrates the existence of a mathematical object by creating or providing a method for creating the object. This is in contrast to a non-constructive proof (also known as an existence proof or pure existence theorem ), which proves the existence of a particular kind of object ...
In classical real analysis, one way to define a real number is as an equivalence class of Cauchy sequences of rational numbers.. In constructive mathematics, one way to construct a real number is as a function ƒ that takes a positive integer and outputs a rational ƒ(n), together with a function g that takes a positive integer n and outputs a positive integer g(n) such that
Intuitionistic logic is a commonly-used tool in developing approaches to constructivism in mathematics. The use of constructivist logics in general has been a controversial topic among mathematicians and philosophers (see, for example, the Brouwer–Hilbert controversy). A common objection to their use is the above-cited lack of two central ...
proof theory and constructive mathematics (considered as parts of a single area). Additionally, sometimes the field of computational complexity theory is also included together with mathematical logic. [2] [3] Each area has a distinct focus, although many techniques and results are shared among multiple areas. The borderlines amongst these ...
constructive proof A proof that demonstrates the existence of a mathematical object by providing a method to construct it explicitly, as opposed to proving indirectly by contradiction. contextualism The theory that the context in which an assertion is made is essential for understanding its truth conditions and meaning. contingency
From the other direction, there has been considerable clarification of what constructive mathematics is—without the emergence of a 'master theory'. For example, according to Errett Bishop's definitions, the continuity of a function such as sin(x) should be proved as a constructive bound on the modulus of continuity, meaning that the existential content of the assertion of continuity is a ...
The fundamental distinguishing characteristic of intuitionism is its interpretation of what it means for a mathematical statement to be true. In Brouwer's original intuitionism, the truth of a mathematical statement is a subjective claim: a mathematical statement corresponds to a mental construction, and a mathematician can assert the truth of a statement only by verifying the validity of that ...
The base logic of constructive analysis is intuitionistic logic, which means that the principle of excluded middle is not automatically assumed for every proposition.If a proposition . is provable, this exactly means that the non-existence claim . being provable would be absurd, and so the latter cannot also be provable in a consistent theory.