What do mathematicians mean by proof? A comparative-judgement study of students’ and mathematicians’ views

We present a study in which mathematicians and undergraduate students were asked to explain in writing what mathematicians mean by proof. The 175 responses were evaluated using comparative judgement: mathematicians compared pairs of responses and their judgements were used to construct a scaled rank order. We provide evidence establishing the reliability, divergent validity and content validity of this approach to investigating individuals’ written conceptions of mathematical proof. In doing so, we compare the quality of student and mathematician responses and identify which features the judges collectively valued. Substantively, our findings reveal that despite the variety of views in the literature, mathematicians broadly agree on what people should say when asked what mathematicians mean by proof. Methodologically, we provide evidence that comparative judgement could have an important role to play in investigating conceptions of mathematical ideas, and conjecture that similar methods could be productive in evaluating individuals’ more general (mathematical) beliefs.     

Investigating undergraduate students’ proof schemes and perspectives about combinatorial proof

Combinatorics is an area of mathematics with accessible, rich problems and applications in a variety of fields. Combinatorial proof is an important topic within combinatorics that has received relatively little attention within the mathematics education community, and there is much to investigate about how students reason about and engage with combinatorial proof. In this paper, we use Harel and Sowder’s (1998) proof schemes to investigate ways that students may characterize combinatorial proofs as different from other types of proof. We gave five upper-division mathematics students combinatorial-proof tasks and asked them to reflect on their activity and combinatorial proof more generally. We found that the students used several of Harel and Sowder’s proof schemes to characterize combinatorial proof, and we discuss whether and how other proof schemes may emerge for students engaging in combinatorial proof. We conclude by discussing implications and avenues for future research.     

Quantified propositional calculus and a second-order theory for NC1

Let H be a proof system for quantified propositional calculus (QPC). We define the Σ^q_j-witnessing problem for H to be: given a prenex Σ^q_j-formula A, an H-proof of A, and a truth assignment to the free variables in A, find a witness for the outermost existential quantifiers in A. We point out that the Σ^q₁-witnessing problems for the systems G^*₁and G₁ are complete for polynomial time and PLS (polynomial local search), respectively. We introduce and study the systems G^*₀ and G₀, in which cuts are restricted to quantifier-free formulas, and prove that the Σ^q_j-witnessing problem for each is complete for NC¹. Our proof involves proving a polynomial time version of Gentzen’s midsequent theorem for G^*₀ and proving that G₀-proofs are TC⁰-recognizable. We also introduce QPC systems for TC⁰ and prove witnessing theorems for them. We introduce a finitely axiomatizable second-order system VNC¹ of bounded arithmetic which we prove isomorphic to Arai’s first order theory AID + Σ^b ₀-CA for uniform NC¹. We describe simple translations of VNC¹ proofs of all bounded theorems to polynomial size families of G^*₀ proofs. From this and the above theorem we get alternative proofs of the NC¹ witnessing theorems for VNC¹ and AID.This research was carried while this author was a student at the University of Toronto.     

Zum Schwingungsverhalten pentakoordinierter Zinn(IV)-organischer Verbindungen. IR- und Raman-Untersuchungen an 2,8,9-Tricarbastannatranen

Summary Results are reported of IR and Raman investigations on four 1-substituted 2,8,9-tricarbastannatranes (1,X=Cl;2,X=Br;3,X=I;4,X=Me). Group-theoretic investigations confirm the trigonal-bipyramidal configuration of the tin atoms. The vibrational frequencies of the coordination (SnN) are correlated to the distancesd (Sn-N). Besides the results on the vibrations of the coordination polyhedrons other results are reported concerning the enantiomerization of the chiral atran skeleton.

     

Proof complexity of intuitionistic implicational formulas

We study implicational formulas in the context of proof complexity of intuitionistic propositional logic (IPC). On the one hand, we give an efficient transformation of tautologies to implicational tautologies that preserves the lengths of intuitionistic extended Frege (EF) or substitution Frege (SF) proofs up to a polynomial. On the other hand, EF proofs in the implicational fragment of IPC polynomially simulate full intuitionistic logic for implicational tautologies. The results also apply to other fragments of other superintuitionistic logics under certain conditions.In particular, the exponential lower bounds on the length of intuitionistic EF proofs by Hrube? (2007), generalized to exponential separation between EF and SF systems in superintuitionistic logics of unbounded branching by Je?ábek (2009), can be realized by implicational tautologies.     

Proofs with monotone cuts

Atserias, Galesi, and Pudlák have shown that the monotone sequent calculus MLK quasipolynomially simulates proofs of monotone sequents in the full sequent calculus LK (or equivalently, in Frege systems). We generalize the simulation to the fragment MCLK of LK which can prove arbitrary sequents, but restricts cut‐formulas to be monotone. We also show that MLK as a refutation system for CNFs quasipolynomially simulates LK.     

研究四色问题的意义及理论构想

四色问题又称四色猜想,是世界近代三大数学难题之一．1976年两位美国数学家Appel与Haken借助计算机给出了一个证明．时至今日,四色问题的正确性早已得到数学界所承认．但是围绕它的非计算机证明,在近几十年来涌现出了各种不同的研究成果．一方面丰富了图论的内容,另一方面又促进了图的染色理论的发展．本文从研究四色问题的意义出发;揭示了四色问题所隐藏的深刻规律,在此基础上提出了一个比四色问题更具有广泛意义的理论构想．主要目地为四色问题的非计算机证明提供一个研究方向．     

The Isis problem as an experimental probe and teaching resource

The Isis problem, which has a link with the Isis cult of ancient Egypt, asks: “Find which rectangles with sides of integral length (in some unit) have area and perimeter (numerically) equal, and prove the result.” Since the solution requires minimal technical mathematics, the problem is accessible to a wide range of students. Further, it is notable for the variety of proofs (empirically grounded, algebraic, geometrical) using different forms of argument, and their associated representations, and it provides an instrument for probing students’ ideas about proof, and the interplay between routine and adaptive expertise. A group of 39 Flemish pre-service mathematics teachers was confronted with the Isis problem. More specifically, we first asked them to solve the problem and to look for more than one solution. Second, we invited them to study five given contrasting proofs and to rank these proofs from best to worst. The results highlight a preference of many students for algebraic proofs as well as their rejection of experimentation. The potential of the problem as a teaching tool is outlined.