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    TTC - Prove It - The Art of Mathematical Argument

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    CAROL_X1
    This document provides an introduction to mathematical proofs. It defines what proofs are and why they are important, establishing truth through logical arguments. The document gives some examples of theorems like the Pythagorean theorem and Fermat's last theorem. It also discusses the difference between theorems and conjectures. The rest of the document provides guidance on how to write proofs, including understanding the problem, trying examples, and being creative. It then gives some sample proofs, like proving that the product of two odd integers is odd.

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    TTC - Prove It - The Art of Mathematical Argument

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    CAROL_X1
    334 views4 pages
    This document provides an introduction to mathematical proofs. It defines what proofs are and why they are important, establishing truth through logical arguments. The document gives some examples of theorems like the Pythagorean theorem and Fermat's last theorem. It also discusses the difference between theorems and conjectures. The rest of the document provides guidance on how to write proofs, including understanding the problem, trying examples, and being creative. It then gives some sample proofs, like proving that the product of two odd integers is odd.

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    A very gentle introduction to mathematical proves

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    This document provides an introduction to mathematical proofs. It defines what proofs are and why they are important, establishing truth through logical arguments. The document gives some examples of theorems like the Pythagorean theorem and Fermat's last theorem. It also discusses the difference between theorems and conjectures. The rest of the document provides guidance on how to write proofs, including understanding the problem, trying examples, and being creative. It then gives some sample proofs, like proving that the product of two odd integers is odd.

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    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Flag for inappropriate content
    Download as pdf or txt
    334 views4 pages

    TTC - Prove It - The Art of Mathematical Argument

    Uploaded by

    CAROL_X1
    This document provides an introduction to mathematical proofs. It defines what proofs are and why they are important, establishing truth through logical arguments. The document gives some examples of theorems like the Pythagorean theorem and Fermat's last theorem. It also discusses the difference between theorems and conjectures. The rest of the document provides guidance on how to write proofs, including understanding the problem, trying examples, and being creative. It then gives some sample proofs, like proving that the product of two odd integers is odd.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    TTCProveIt,TheArtofMathemathicalArgument052615

    Page1of4

    1. WhatareProofsandHowdowedoThem
    Questions:
    2. TheRootofProofABriefLookatGeometry
    1. Wheredoesodd/evennumbersdefinitionscomesfrom?

    TTCProveIt,TheArtofMathemathicalArgument052615

    Lecture1:WhatAreProofsandHowdowedoThem:
    WhatareProofsandWhyareTheyImportant:
    Aproofisalogicalargumentthatestablishesthetruthofa
    statementortheorem(statementthathasbeenproven).
    Proofsteachyouwhysomethingistrue.Makesyouaprecise
    mathematician.Bestproofsare,hopefully,shortandelegant,
    &sometimesgiveyouinsightintowhythetheoremistrue.
    Earlymatheducationisbasedoncalculations.Thingsare
    giventoyouandyouhavetoacceptthem,mostlybyfaith.
    Postcalculuscourses(Analysis,LinealAlgebra,Topology)
    areweightedonproofs,toemphasizeprecisemathematical
    reasoning.
    SOMETHEOREMS:
    PythagoreanTheorem:

    FermatLastTheorem:foreachinteger
    2,thereareno
    positiveintegersolutions , , suchthat
    .Why
    did they always call it theorem if it was unproven until recently?

    CONJECTURES:Unsolvedproblems.Ifsolved,becometheorems.

    CollatzConjecture:Takeanyinteger
    0.Ifeven,divideby
    2,ifoddmultiplyby3andadd1.Itclaims, willeventually
    getto1.Nocounterexamplefound.AKA3
    1conjecture.
    COUNTEREXAMPLE:Examplethatshowsaconjectureisfalse

    Page2of4
    OddNumbers:
    Aninteger isoddifitisoftheform
    ,where isaninteger.Someauthorsusethe
    form
    .
    Inotherwords,andoddnumberisanevennumber
    ( ),plus1.Forexample,7isanoddnumber
    becauseitisoftheform:7 2 3 1.
    9 2
    5 1
    LetstrytoprovefirstthefollowingTheorem:
    P1TheproductoftwoEvenintegersiseven.
    (1) Beginwithtwoevenintegers,2 and2
    (2) Multiplythem:2 2 equals4
    (3) 4 equals2 2
    (4) 2 isaninteger,multipliedby2,getsaneven
    LetsnowtrytoprovethefollowingTheorem:
    P2TheproductoftwoOddintegersisanOddinteger.
    1. Beginwithtwooddintegers,2
    1and2
    1
    1 2
    1
    4
    2
    2
    1
    2. Multiply: 2
    3. Regroup:2 2
    1
    4. Notethat2 2
    isaneveninteger,plus
    1,makesitanoddinteger;thatistheproof.
    DirectProofs:Youbeginwithanargument,directly
    makesomemath/algebra,andarriveataconclusion.
    Likebothproofsabove.

    HOWDOYOUGETGOODATPROOFS:
    1. Understandtheproblem.Trysomenumbersonit
    2. Doyoureallybelieveit,andcanyouproveit?
    EXAMPLE1:Considerthesetofpositiveintegers
    3. Haveyouprovensimilarthingsinthepast?
    1,2,3,4 andthesetoftheirsquares
    4. Practiceandbecreative.Playingcantriggeraproof
    1, 4, 9, 16 ,whichsetisbigger?Youmight
    5. Ifyoususpecttheconjectureisfalse,getcounterexample argue,intuitively,that
    becausethereseemsto
    beonlyoneelementbetween1and2(1stand2nd
    FirstProofs:
    itemsofA),but3elementsbetween1and4(1stand
    Letssupposeyoumultiply2oddnumbers.Istheresulteven
    2nditemsofB);however,bothsetsaresamesize
    orodd?Youcantryseveralexamples:7x9=63,5x7=35,
    becauseyoucanmatcheachelementin withan
    3x9=27.Itseemstheresultisalwaysodd,butbecareful,
    elementin .
    EXAMPLESDONTPROVEITWILLALWAYSBETRUE.Maybe
    atsomegiantnumberitbreaks.Ithashappened.
    1 1, 2 4, 3 9, 4 16andsoon,forever.
    Canyouproveit?
    So,howdoyouproveforsureoddtimesoddwillalwaysbe
    st
    odd?Well,1 youneedtodefineobjectivelyandprecisely:
    EXAMPLE2:ConsidertheFibonaccinumbers(FN)
    (1)Whatsanoddnumber(2)whatsandevennumber
    1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34 .Whatsthe1000thFN?,
    Youcangeneratethelistonebyone,butyoucanalso
    EvenNumbers:Andevennumberisalwaystheproductof2
    comeupwithaformulathatpopsoutanyFN.Does
    timesanotherinteger,(e.g.2k).wherekisanotherinteger
    thatformulaexist,anddoesitworkalways,no
    (oddoreven,negativeorpositive).Remember,theconcept
    matterhowlargethenumber?Canyouproveit?
    ofodd/evenappliesonlytointegers.Example:8=2x4,10=
    2x5,6=2x(3).
    Problem:P3ProvethatEVEN+ODD=ODD
    1. AddoddNo(2s+1)andeven(2k): 2
    1
    2
    Aninteger isevenifitisoftheform
    ,where is
    2. Distribute:2
    2
    1
    aninteger.
    3. Regroup:2
    +1

    4. 2
    isaneven,plus1,isanodd.

    TTCProveIt,TheArtofMathemathicalArgument052615

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    TTCProveIt,TheArtofMathemathicalArgument052615

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