Lecture

Proposition: Demonstration by Absurd Reasoning

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Description

This lecture covers the proposition that if X is a real number, then X² is not equal to 2, demonstrated through reasoning by absurdity. The instructor explains the process of assuming X² = 2, leading to a contradiction with the fundamental properties of numbers. By showing that the equation X² = 2 has no solution in the set of real numbers, the lecture delves into the implications of this result. The presentation concludes by discussing the impossibility of finding a real number that satisfies the equation X² = 2, providing insights into the nature of mathematical reasoning and logical deduction.

In MOOCs (2)

Analysis I

This course covers : Part 1: Prelude, basic concepts, real numbers. Part 2: Introduction to complex numbers. Part 3: Real number sequences I and II. Part 4: Limit of a function, continuous functions. Part 5: Continuous functions and derivable functions, the derivative function. Part 6: Studies of functions, limited developments. Part 7: Indefinite and definite integrals, integration (selected chapters).

Analysis I (part 1): Prelude, basic concepts, real numbers

Can you calculate the value of sin(π/4)? Does the identity ln(xy)=ln(x)+ln(y) sound familiar? In the prelude we recall and expand on a few such notions, in particular the trigonometric functions sin, cos and tan and their properties, the concept of reciprocal functions such as exp and ln, some calculation rules concerning powers, logarithms and roots, sets and functions. Next we discuss number systems: based on the "intuitive" notion of the natural integers N={0,1,2,3,...}, we rigorously define the rational

Official source

Quiz

Ontological neighbourhood

Logic

Classical logic: First-order logic

Related concepts (32)

Real number

In mathematics, a real number is a number that can be used to measure a continuous one-dimensional quantity such as a distance, duration or temperature. Here, continuous means that pairs of values can have arbitrarily small differences. Every real number can be almost uniquely represented by an infinite decimal expansion. The real numbers are fundamental in calculus (and more generally in all mathematics), in particular by their role in the classical definitions of limits, continuity and derivatives.

Natural deduction

In logic and proof theory, natural deduction is a kind of proof calculus in which logical reasoning is expressed by inference rules closely related to the "natural" way of reasoning. This contrasts with Hilbert-style systems, which instead use axioms as much as possible to express the logical laws of deductive reasoning. Natural deduction grew out of a context of dissatisfaction with the axiomatizations of deductive reasoning common to the systems of Hilbert, Frege, and Russell (see, e.g., Hilbert system).

Mathematical proof

A mathematical proof is a deductive argument for a mathematical statement, showing that the stated assumptions logically guarantee the conclusion. The argument may use other previously established statements, such as theorems; but every proof can, in principle, be constructed using only certain basic or original assumptions known as axioms, along with the accepted rules of inference. Proofs are examples of exhaustive deductive reasoning which establish logical certainty, to be distinguished from empirical arguments or non-exhaustive inductive reasoning which establish "reasonable expectation".

Proposition

A proposition is a central concept in the philosophy of language, semantics, logic, and related fields, often characterized as the primary bearer of truth or falsity. Propositions are also often characterized as being the kind of thing that declarative sentences denote. For instance the sentence "The sky is blue" denotes the proposition that the sky is blue. However, crucially, propositions are not themselves linguistic expressions.

Mathematical induction

Mathematical induction is a method for proving that a statement is true for every natural number , that is, that the infinitely many cases all hold. Informal metaphors help to explain this technique, such as falling dominoes or climbing a ladder: Mathematical induction proves that we can climb as high as we like on a ladder, by proving that we can climb onto the bottom rung (the basis) and that from each rung we can climb up to the next one (the step). A proof by induction consists of two cases.

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