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JizzaDaMan
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What is the standard procedure for proving or disproving a mathematical theorem? for example Fermat's last theorem?
JizzaDaMan said:Thanks for the reply :) i always wondered how so many of these theorems are proven because the proofs just seem so random, and it appears that they are just that :D
Frankly, that's a lot like asking, "When you are writing a book, how do you know what words to use?"JizzaDaMan said:Thanks for the reply :) i always wondered how so many of these theorems are proven because the proofs just seem so random, and it appears that they are just that :D
Maths is an art, not a train to steer along a pre-determined track.JizzaDaMan said:Thanks for the reply :) i always wondered how so many of these theorems are proven because the proofs just seem so random, and it appears that they are just that :D
HallsofIvy said:(That is one reason why mentors here get so frustrated with people who say the 'can't do a problem' or 'don't know where to start'. You seldom know that a method you are using will solve the problem. Just try. If it doesn't work, try something else.)
What are you disagreeing with? Having said that you have little experience with mathematics, why do you feel that you can disagree about how you do mathematics?uperkurk said:I'm sorry I have to disagree, I myself am terrible at maths and have only just started learning algebra, but if you don't know how to work out an equation, then you can never know what the correct answer is.
I had an algebra question earlier and I did it two ways, I was not sure which way was correct and I ended up with -4 for the first way, and 8 for the second way.
Turns out the correct answer was actually -8 so I had it completely wrong. Sometimes you just need to be given a little push in the right direction or someone to show you WHY you're going wrong.
uperkurk said:Obviously my maths skills are nowhere near as advanced as others on this board. What I mean by never know the answer is you may try working out the answer multiple ways and coming up with multiple answers, all of which are different.
Ok let me use the example that you posted.
I am nowhere near skilled to answer this and I don't even know what type of algebra equation this is but nevertheless I will try to solve it.
I won't bother to write the steps
but here is the furthest I can get and whether or not this is even the correct way to work out such problem I have no idea but...
[tex]15x-x^2+20=0[/tex]
Now I could sit and shuffle these numbers around all day and because I don't know what the answer should be, I will never know if I have solved it or not, do you see what I mean?
uperkurk said:Obviously my maths skills are nowhere near as advanced as others on this board. What I mean by never know the answer is you may try working out the answer multiple ways and coming up with multiple answers, all of which are different. Ok let me use the example that you posted.
I am nowhere near skilled to answer this and I don't even know what type of algebra equation this is but nevertheless I will try to solve it.
I won't bother to write the steps but here is the furthest I can get and whether or not this is even the correct way to work out such problem I have no idea but...
[tex]15x-x^2+20=0[/tex]
Now I could sit and shuffle these numbers around all day and because I don't know what the answer should be, I will never know if I have solved it or not, do you see what I mean?
Millennial said:I can't prove anything by starting from 0=1
Without knowing what kind of mathematics you have taken, it's impossible to respond. Have you actually taken a course that involved quadratic equations? If so you could think about trying to factor and, if you can't try "completing the square" or the "quadratic formula". But certainly, if you think some number is a solution, you can replace x by that number and then it is just simple arithmetic to check it.uperkurk said:Obviously my maths skills are nowhere near as advanced as others on this board. What I mean by never know the answer is you may try working out the answer multiple ways and coming up with multiple answers, all of which are different. Ok let me use the example that you posted.
I am nowhere near skilled to answer this and I don't even know what type of algebra equation this is but nevertheless I will try to solve it.
I won't bother to write the steps but here is the furthest I can get and whether or not this is even the correct way to work out such problem I have no idea but...
[tex]15x-x^2+20=0[/tex]
Now I could sit and shuffle these numbers around all day and because I don't know what the answer should be, I will never know if I have solved it or not, do you see what I mean?
micromass said:Quite the contrary: you can prove everything by starting from 0=1! But all those things are wrong since you started from a false statement.
Sorry, I had to make a comment about that
The standard procedure for proving math theorems involves the following steps:
Fermat's Last Theorem is a famous mathematical conjecture proposed by French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the 17th century. It states that no three positive integers a, b, and c can satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater than 2.
Yes, in 1994, British mathematician Andrew Wiles provided a proof for Fermat's Last Theorem after working on it for over 7 years. His proof used advanced mathematical concepts and techniques, including elliptic curves and modular forms.
Proving math theorems is crucial for the advancement of mathematics and other scientific fields. It helps to establish the validity of mathematical concepts and principles, and also leads to the development of new theories and applications.
Proving math theorems can be a complex and challenging process. Some common difficulties include: