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Then P(n) is true for all natural numbers n. For example, we can prove by induction that all positive integers of the form 2n − 1 are odd. Let P(n) represent " 2n − 1 is odd": (i) For n = 1, 2n − 1 = 2 (1) − 1 = 1, and 1 is odd, since it leaves a remainder of 1 when divided by 2. Thus P(1) is true.
In this general sense, proof by contradiction is also known as indirect proof, proof by assuming the opposite, [2] and reductio ad impossibile. [3] A mathematical proof employing proof by contradiction usually proceeds as follows: The proposition to be proved is P. We assume P to be false, i.e., we assume ¬P. It is then shown that ¬P implies ...
Proof by exhaustion, also known as proof by cases, proof by case analysis, complete induction or the brute force method, is a method of mathematical proof in which the statement to be proved is split into a finite number of cases or sets of equivalent cases, and where each type of case is checked to see if the proposition in question holds. [1]
Proof theory is a major branch [1] of mathematical logic and theoretical computer science within which proofs are treated as formal mathematical objects, facilitating their analysis by mathematical techniques. Proofs are typically presented as inductively-defined data structures such as lists, boxed lists, or trees, which are constructed ...
Fundamental theorem of arithmetic. Gauss–Markov theorem (brief pointer to proof) Gödel's incompleteness theorem. Gödel's first incompleteness theorem. Gödel's second incompleteness theorem. Goodstein's theorem. Green's theorem (to do) Green's theorem when D is a simple region. Heine–Borel theorem.
Formal proof. In logic and mathematics, a formal proof or derivation is a finite sequence of sentences (known as well-formed formulas when relating to formal language), each of which is an axiom, an assumption, or follows from the preceding sentences in the sequence, according to the rule of inference. It differs from a natural language ...
Constructive proof. 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 ...
In mathematics, a proof by infinite descent, also known as Fermat's method of descent, is a particular kind of proof by contradiction [1] used to show that a statement cannot possibly hold for any number, by showing that if the statement were to hold for a number, then the same would be true for a smaller number, leading to an infinite descent and ultimately a contradiction. [2]