Question

What do you do when asked to prove something mathematically?

Answer 1

You prove the hypothesis.

Answer 2

and you have to decide on a suitable method

Answer 3

by proving mathematically, we prove it having QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS point of view in our mind......
we find the actual or approximate amount of something

Answer 4

I like contradiction.

Answer 5

me too

Answer 6

Or induction.

Answer 7

It is something we have never been taught yet constantly crops up in exams

Answer 8

I try to think of ways you could prove, and then I prove.

Answer 9

i try to prove by deduction when possible. i turn to induction or other tricks only when its not possible

Answer 10

@Lachlan1996 is correct ........

Answer 11

Hahaha you mean my opinion is correct?

Answer 12

can you give an example?

Answer 13

Direct proofs are the simplest ways one could prove any hypothesis.

Answer 14

1) start from given info (axioms or given statements)
2) use established mathematical rules to come to the conclusion you are looking for, justifying each step along the way

Answer 15

...more or less

Answer 16

I dont have an example, but i just wanted to know what the general approach was, when given a statement or equation in an exam and are asked to prove it.

Answer 17

A good conceptual example of a mathematical proof can be found by reading "the problem of the mutilated chessboard."

Answer 18

prove that sqrt2 is irrational
what method would you use for this?

Answer 19

who are you asking cwrw?

Answer 20

mutilated chessboard?

Answer 21

anyone

Answer 22

contradiction i guess

Answer 23

I have usually seen the srt2 irrational proof done by contradiction, as it was by the ancient Greeks

Answer 24

yea

Answer 25

sqrt2*

Answer 26

I like some proofs.

Prove that \(\sqrt2 \) is irrational - contradiction.
Prove that an even number x even number = even number - proof by contrapositive.

And many other.

Answer 27

its nice

Answer 28

so how would you prove that the sqrt of 2 is irrational in a mathematical sense? we know it is but how would you approach it mathematically?

Answer 29

A Pythagorean proved that \(\sqrt2\) is irrational, and thus he was assassinated.

Answer 30

@across thanks for the reference, I love Martin Gardner! never seen this before

Answer 31

i think Euclid proved sqrt2 thing first - by contradiction

Answer 32

yeah both contradiction and deduction are more or less same... they use axioms
induction is completely different