INDUCTION

Domino Principle
 History
Aristotile (384-322 B.C., Greek),

Euclides (325-265 B.C., Greek),

Francesco Maurolico (1494-1575, Italy),

Augustus de Morgan (1806-1871,

Scotland)
 Propositions
 n( n  1 ) 
1. P  n   1  2  3  ...  n   for any n  N ;
 2 
2. P  n   3  1  2n for any n  N ;
n

3. P  n   n3  5n is divisible by 6  for any n  N ;

4. P  n   n  n  41 is prime for any n  N .
2
 Definition of the set N

  inductive set  if x  I , then x  1 I 

  set of natural nambers 
 minimal inductive set with 1 
 11
,  1  2,2  1  3,3  1  4 ,4  1  5,....
 Basic Principle of
Mathematical Induction
Theorem 1 (Basic Induction). Let P n  
denote a mathematical statement, that
involves one or more occurrences of
the variable n, which represents a natural
number.

1) Basis step: If P 1 is true,
and
 Basic Principle of
Mathematical Induction
2) Inductive step: If whenever P  n 
is true (for some particular, but arbitrarily
chosen, n   ), then P  n  1
is true;

then P  n  is true for all n   ■

 Examples
1) Sum of geometric progression:
n 1
1 q
n


k 0
q 
k

1 q

2) The Binomial Theorem:

Binomial Coefficient: n!
C  k

k ! n  k !
n
 Examples

Pascal’s Identity:
k 1
C n C Ck
n
k
n 1
Theorem:
n
a  b  C a b
n k k n k
n
k 0
 General Principle of
Mathematical Induction
Z  x  Z | x  0


a  Z , X a  x  Z | x  a  a, a  1, a  2,....
 

Theorem 2: (General Induction). Let

P n
denote a mathematical
n  Xstatement
a
P a 
that involves the variable .
1) Basis step: If is true, and
 General Principle of
Mathematical Induction
2) Inductive step: If whenever P n 
is true for some arbitrarily chosen
n Xa P  n  1
, then is true;
P n  n Xa
then is true for all ■
 General Principle of
Mathematical Induction

Examples:
1) The sum of internal angles of any
convex polygon is equal to n  2  
2) 2  n!
n
 Special Principle of
Mathematical Induction
Theorem 3: (Special Induction). Let
P n
denote a mathematicaln
statement
Xa
That involves the variable .
P a 
1) Basis step: If  
is true,Pand
k
2) Inductive step: If whenever
 Special Principle of
Mathematical Induction
is true for some arbitrarily chosen
n Xa and k  Xa , k  n then
P  n  1
is true;
P n n Xa
then is true for all ■
 Special Principle of
Mathematical Induction
Examples:
1) If n is an integer greater then 1, then
n can be written as the product of primes.
2) Let an  be a sequence that satisfies
the recurrence relations:
n 1
an  c   ak  b, n  2,3,...; a1  b;
k 1
Show that an  1  c 
n 1
b ■