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Mathematical fallacy. In mathematics, certain kinds of mistaken proof are often exhibited, and sometimes collected, as illustrations of a concept called mathematical fallacy. There is a distinction between a simple mistake and a mathematical fallacy in a proof, in that a mistake in a proof leads to an invalid proof while in the best-known ...
Fermat–Catalan conjecture. In number theory, Fermat's Last Theorem (sometimes called Fermat's conjecture, especially in older texts) states that no three positive integers a, b, and c satisfy the equation an + bn = cn for any integer value of n greater than 2. The cases n = 1 and n = 2 have been known since antiquity to have infinitely many ...
Euler's identity. In mathematics, Euler's identity[ note 1] (also known as Euler's equation) is the equality where. is pi, the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Euler's identity is named after the Swiss mathematician Leonhard Euler. It is a special case of Euler's formula when evaluated for .
Cantor's diagonal argument (among various similar names [ note 1]) is a mathematical proof that there are infinite sets which cannot be put into one-to-one correspondence with the infinite set of natural numbers – informally, that there are sets which in some sense contain more elements than there are positive integers.
An imaginary number is the product of a real number and the imaginary unit i, [ note 1] which is defined by its property i2 = −1. [ 1][ 2] The square of an imaginary number bi is −b2. For example, 5i is an imaginary number, and its square is −25. The number zero is considered to be both real and imaginary. [ 3]
The concept of proof is formalized in the field of mathematical logic. [ 12] A formal proof is written in a formal language instead of natural language. A formal proof is a sequence of formulas in a formal language, starting with an assumption, and with each subsequent formula a logical consequence of the preceding ones.
Coprime integers. In number theory, two integers a and b are coprime, relatively prime or mutually prime if the only positive integer that is a divisor of both of them is 1. [ 1] Consequently, any prime number that divides a does not divide b, and vice versa. This is equivalent to their greatest common divisor (GCD) being 1. [ 2]
The enduring uncertainty of Amelia Earhart might be likened to a mathematical equation with a missing variable—an unknown that allows an infinite number of answers, each of them potentially ...