LESSON 3.

2
INTUITION, PROOF
AND CERTAINTY
 Objectives:

1. Define and differentiate intuition, proof

and certainty.
2. Make use of intuition to solve problem.
3. Name and prove some mathematical
statement with the use of different
kinds of proving.
 Sometimes, we tried to solve problem or
problems in mathematics even without using
any mathematical computation and we just
simply observed, example a pattern to be able
on how to deal with the problem and with
this, we can come up with our decision with
the use of our intuition .
 we use another method to solve
problems in mathematics to come up
with a correct conclusion or conjecture
with the help of different types of
proving where proofs is an example of
certainty.
 A. Intuition

There are a lot of definition of

an intuition and one of these is
that it is an immediate
understanding or knowing
something without reasoning.
 It does not require a big picture or full
understanding of the problem, as it uses
a lot of small pieces of abstract
information that you have in your
memory to create a reasoning leading
to your decision just from the limited
information you have about the
problem in hand.
Intuition comes from
noticing, thinking and
questioning.
 As a student, you can build and improve your intuition
by doing the following:
a. Be observant and see things visually towards with
your critical thinking.
b. Make your own manipulation on the things that you
have noticed and observed.
c. Do the right thinking and make a connections with it
before doing the solution.
 Illustration

 1. Based on the given picture below, which among of

the two yellow lines is longer? Is it the upper one or
the lower one?
 Your own intuition could help you to answer the
question correctly and come up with a correct
conclusion. For sure, the first thing that you are going
to do is to make a keen observation in the figure and
you will be asking yourself (starting to process your
critical thinking) which of these two yellow lines is
longer compare to other line or is it really the yellow
line above is more longer than the yellow line below?
But what would be the correct explanation?
 The figure above is called Ponzo illusion (1911). There are two
identical yellow lines drawn horizontally in a railway track. If
you will be observing these two yellow lines, your mind tells
you that upper yellow line looks longer that the below yellow
line. But in reality, the two lines has equal length. For sure, you
will be using a ruler to be able to determine which of the two is
longer than the other one. The exact reasoning could goes like
this. The upper yellow line looks longer because of the
converging sides of a railway. The farther the line, it seems
look line longer that the other yellow line below.
 
1. Which of the two have the largest
value? Explain it accurately
towards to correct conclusion.
;
ACTIVITY
 B. Proof and Certainty

By definition, a proof is an

inferential argument for a
mathematical statement while
proofs are an example of
mathematical logical certainty.
 A mathematical proof is a list of
statements in which every statement is
one of the following:
(1)an axiom
(2)derived from previous statements by a
rule of inference
(3)a previously derived theorem
 There is a hierarchy of terminology that gives opinions
about the importance of derived truths:
(1) A proposition is a theorem of lesser generality or of lesser
importance.
(2) A lemma is a theorem whose importance is mainly as a
key step in something deemed to be of greater
significance.
(3) A corollary is a consequence of a theorem, usually one
whose proof is much easier than that of the theorem
itself.
 METHODS OF PROOF

 In methods of proof, basically we need or we

have to prove an existing mathematical
theorem to be able to determine if this
theorem is true or false.
 In addition, there is no need to prove any
mathematical definition simply because we
assumed that this is already true or this is
basically true.
Usually, a theorem is in the form of if-then
statement. So, in a certain theorem, it consists of
hypothesis and conclusion.
Let us say P and Q are two propositions. In an if-
then statement, proposition P would be the
hypothesis while the proposition Q would be our
conclusion denoted by:
P→Q
 Example:

  If a triangle is a right triangle with sides a, b,

and c as hypotenuse, then + = .
 There are two ways on how to present a
proof. One is with the use of an outline form
and the other one is in a paragraph form.
Either of the two presentations could be used
by the student.
 TWO WAYS ON
HOW TO PRESENT
THE PROOF
 a. Outline Form

Proposition: If P then Q.
1. Suppose/Assume P
2. Statement
3. Statement
.
.

. Statement Therefore Q .
 b. Paragraph Form

 Proposition: If P then Q.
Assume/Suppose P.
___________.__________ .__________
.__________ . . .___________
.___________ .__________ . Therefore Q.
 Example:

 Illustration 1: Prove (in outline form) that “If x is a number with 5x +

3 = 33, then x = 6”
Proof:
1. Assume that x is a number with 5x + 3 = 33.
2. Adding -3 both sides of an equation will not affect the equality of
the two members on an equation, thus 5x + 3 – 3 = 33 – 3
3. Simplifying both sides, we got 5x = 30.
4. Now, dividing both member of the equation by 5 will not be
affected the equality so 5𝑥 = 30. 5 5
5. Working the equation algebraically, it shows that x = 6.
Therefore, if 5x + 3 = 33, then x = 6. 
 Illustration 2: Prove (in paragraph form) that “If x is a number
with 5x + 3 = 33, then x = 6”
Proof:
If 5x + 3 = 33, then 5x + 3 − 3 = 33 − 3 since subtracting the
same number from two equal quantities gives equal results. 5x +
3 − 3 = 5x because adding 3 to 5x and then subtracting 3 just
leaves 5x, and also, 33 − 3 = 30. Hence 5x = 30. That is, x is a
number which when multiplied by 5 equals 30. The only number
with this property is 6.
Therefore, if 5x + 3 = 33 then x = 6.
Note: It is up to you which
of the two forms would be
your preferred
presentation.
KINDS OF
PROOF
 1. DIRECT PROOF

A direct proof is a mathematical

argument that uses rules of
inference to derive the
conclusion from the premises.
 In a direct proof, let us say we need to
prove a given theorem in a form of P →
Q. The steps in taking a direct proof
would be:
1. Assume P is true.
2. Conclusion is true.
 Example:

 Prove that if x is an even integer, then x2 – 6x + 5 is

odd.
Proof: (by outline form)
1. Assume that x is an even integer.
2. By definition of an even integer, x = 2a for some a  Z.
3. So, x2 – 6x + 5 = (2a)2 – 6(2a) + 5 = 4a2 – 12a + 4 + 1 =
2(2a2 – 6a + 2) + 1 where 2a2 – 6a + 2 ∈ k.
4. Therefore, 2(2a2 – 6a + 2) + 1 = 2k + 1, so x2 – 6x + 5 is
odd.
 Example:

 Prove:
  (in an outline form)
 If a and b are both odd integers, then the sum of a and b is an even
integer.
Proof:
1. Assume that a and b are both odd integers.
2. There exists an integer and such that a = + 1 and b = + 1 (by
definition of an odd number).
3. Now, a + b = ( + 1) + ( + 1) = + + 2. Factoring 2, it follows that a + b =
2( + + 1).
4. So; a + b = 2( + + 1). Let + + 1 = k ∈ Z, hence a + b = 2k.
5. 5. Therefore, if a and b are both odd integer, then a + b is even. 
 Example:

 Prove:
  (in paragraph form)
 Assume that a and b are both odd integers. By definition of
an odd number, there exists an integer and such that a = + 1
and b = + 1. Now, adding a and b, that is, a + b = ( + 1) + ( + 1)
= + + 2. Factoring 2, it follows that a + b = 2( + + 1). So; a + b
= 2( + + 1) and let + + 1 = k ∈ Z, hence a + b = 2k. Therefore, if
a and b are both odd integers, their sum is always and even
integer.
 Example:

 With the use of direct proving, prove

the following in paragraph form.
 Prove:
If x and y are two odd integers, then
the product of x and y is also an odd
integer.
  Proof:
Assume that x and y are two different odd integers.
There exists and ∈ Z such that x = + 1 and y = + 1 by
definition of an odd number. Now, taking the product
of x and y, we got xy = ( + 1)( + 1) = 4 + 2 + 2 + 1 = 2(2 +
+ ) + 1. Let 2 + + = k ∈ Z. Hence (2+1)(2+1) = 2k + 1.
Therefore, xy = 2k + 1 where the product of two odd
integers is also an odd integer.
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2. INDIRECT PROOF (CONTRAPOSITIVE
PROOF)

Indirect proof or contrapositive

proof is a type of proof in which a
statement to be proved is assumed
false and if the assumption leads to
an impossibility, then the statement
assumed false has been proved to
be true.
 In an indirect proof, let us say we need to prove a
given theorem in a form of P → Q. The steps or
outline in taking an indirect proof would be:
Assume/Suppose ~Q is true.
.
.
.
Therefore ~P is true.
 Example:

 Using indirect/contrapositive proof, prove

that “If x is divisible by 6, then x is divisible by
3”.
 Here in example 1, we let that p : x is divisible
by 6 and q : x is divisible by 3. So, this original
statement to become a contrapositive could
be transformed into “If x is not divisible by 3,
then x is not divisible by 6”.
Note that, we let p: x is divisible by
6 and q: x is divisible by 3. With the
use of indirect proof, we assume
that ~q is true and the conclusion
~p is also true.
 So, the formal proof would be;
Proof:
1. Assume x is not divisible by 3.
2. 2. Then x ≠ 3k for all k ∈ Z
3. 3. It follows that x ≠ (2m)(3) for all m ∈ Z
4. 4. So, x ≠ 6m for all m ∈ Z
5. 5. Therefore, x is not divisible by 6. 
  Prove using indirect proof or contraposition.
Let x be an integer. Prove that, if is even, then x is
even.
Note that, we let p: is even and q: x is even. With
the use of indirect proof, we assume that ~q is true and
the conclusion ~p is also true.
So, the original statement would become “If x is
odd, then is odd”.
  Now, the formal proof would be;
Proof:
1. Assume x is odd.
2. Then x = 2k + 1 for some k ∈ Z
3. It follows that = = 4 + 4k + 1 = 2( + 2k) + 1 where q =
+ 2k
4. So, = 2q + 1
5. Therefore, x2 is odd.
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 3. Proof by Counter Example
(Disproving Universal Statements)

 A conjecture may be described as a statement

that we hope is a theorem. As we know, many
theorems (hence many conjectures) are
universally quantified statements. Lets start
by investigating how to disprove a universally
quantified statement such as
∀x ∈ S,P(x).
To disprove this statement, we
must prove its negation. Its
negation is
∼ (∀x ∈ S,P(x)) = ∃ x ∈ S,∼ P(x).
 Things are even simpler if we want to
disprove a conditional statement P(x) ⇒ Q(x).
This statement asserts that for every x that
makes P(x) true, Q(x) will also be true. The
statement can only be false if there is an x
that makes P(x) true and Q(x) false. This leads
to our next outline for disproof.
The question is “How to
disprove P(x) ⇒ Q(x)”? The
answer is simple. Produce an
example of an x that makes P(x)
true and Q(x) false.
There is a special name for an
example that disproves a
statement: It is called a
counterexample.
 Example:

 Prove or disprove: All prime numbers are odd.

*Negation : Some prime numbers are even.
By counterexample: Let n = 2. By definition
of a prime, 2 = (2)·(1). But 2 is even where the
only factor of 2 is 2 and 1 so we could say that 2
is a prime number.
Since we have found an even prime number
so the original statement is not true.
 Prove
  or disprove: For all integers x and y, if x + y is even, then
both x and y are even.
*Negation : For some integers x and y, if x + y is odd, then x
and y is odd.
Proof: ∀(x)∀(y): x + y = 2 + 2, for k ∈ Z
∃x ∃y: x + y = 2 + 1 + 2 + 1
= 2+ 2 + 2
= 2(+ + 1)
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 4. Proof by Contradiction

 This method works by assuming your

implication is not true, then deriving a
contradiction.
 Recall that if p is false then p  q is
always true, thus the only way our
implication can be false is if p is true and
q is false.
 So, if we let p  q be a theorem, a proof by
contradiction is given by this way;
1. Assume p is true.
2. Suppose that ~q is also true.
3. Try to arrive at a contradiction.
4. Therefore q is true
 So, in practice then, we assume our premise is
true but our conclusion is false and use these
assumptions to derive a contradiction.
 This contradiction may be a violation of a law
or a previously established result. Having
derived the contradiction you can then
conclude that your assumption (that p → q is
false) was false and so the implication is true.
 Be careful with this method: make sure
that the contradiction arise because of
your original assumptions, not because
of a mistake in method. Also, if you end
up proving ~p then you could have used
proof by contraposition.
 Example:

 Prove by contradiction that “If x + x = x, then x = 0.

Proof:
1. Assume that x + x = x.
2. Suppose that x ≠ 0.
3. Now, x + x = x, so 2x = x and since x  0, we could multiply
both sides of the equation by the reciprocal of x, i.e., 1/x.
4. Multiplying by the reciprocal of x, it follows that 2 = 1
which is a contradiction.
5. Therefore, the original implication is proven to be true.
 Prove by contradiction that “If x is even then x + 3 is odd.
Proof:
1. Assume x is even, so x = 2k.
2. Suppose x + 3 is even. Since x + 3 is even, there exist k ∈ Z
such that x + 3 = 2k.
3. It follows that x = 2k -3. We can rewrite this as x = 2k – 4 + 1.
Now, x = 2(k – 2) + 1. Let k – 2 = q. So, x = 2q + 1. It is clearly
seen that x is an odd number. This is a contradiction to the
assumption.
4. Therefore, x + 3 is odd.
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