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The End of Mathematical Proofs by Humans?

Posted by timothy on from the somehow-I-doubt-it dept.

vivin writes "I recall how I did a bunch of Mathematical Proofs when I was in high school. In fact, proofs were an important part of Math according to the CBSE curriculum in Indian Schools. We were taught how to analyze complex problems and then break them down into simple (atomic) steps. It is similar to the derivation of a Physics formula. Proofs form a significant part of what Mathematicians do. However, according to this article from the Economist, it seems that the use of computers to generate proofs is causing mathematicians to 're-examine the foundations of their discipline.' However, critics of computer-aided proofs say that the proofs are hard to verify due to the large number of steps and hence, may be inherently flawed. Defenders of the same point out that there are non computer-aided proofs that are also rather large and unverifiable, like the Classification of Simple Finite Groups. Computer-aided proofs have been instrumental in solving some vexing problems like the Four Color Theorem."

10 of 549 comments (clear)

  1. FP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Linux Rocks!

    1. Re:FP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      Offtopic but true! Props to you, AC.

    2. Re:FP! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

      "Linux Rock" is modded as Offtopic, come to think about it "Windows Rock" will probably be modded as "Troll" ;)

  2. I dress myself by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    yay!

  3. Re:Consider the source by arodland · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    The Economist doesn't correspond to either of your pitiful, disgusting "wings", and that is good.

  4. cooc4 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    on slashdot.0rg WON'T BE STANDING

  5. Re:Test mod-bots by Omniscientist · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    I'm tempted to mod up parent AC as funny because it is hilarious that he/she was actually modded as troll, but...well that would destroy the whole point.

  6. Re:Test mod-bots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Your email-address is all messed up. It should be omniscienced@gmail.com.

    omniscienced@gmail.com
    omniscienced@gmail.com
    omniscienced@gmail.com
    omniscienced@gmail.com
    omniscienced@gmail.com

  7. Re:Test mod-bots by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    Then shouldn't its parent be modded as insightful? ;)

  8. Playing the e-game by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Offtopic

    An ant has e-5 hp. An elephant has 5 hp. Apollo 11 had e7 hp. There fore, 2*e5 elephants or e12 ants can get you to the moon.

    e7 ants can eat err... get your stuff from the mall, e6 ants can heat your home in winter, e4 ants can power your cellphone.

    Considering e14 ants in the Amazon basin, they could fly e2 times to the moon, get e7 bags of stuff home, heat e8 homes in winter (especially dried) and power e10 cellphones.

    All numbers [www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electoral college]