Steven G. Krantz - The Proof is in the Pudding (2012)

The Proof is in the Pudding: The Changing Nature of Mathematical Proof

by Steven G. Krantz.


# ISBN-13: 9780387489087
# Publisher: Springer New York
# Publication year: 2011
# Edition number: 1
# Pages: 264


This text explores the many transformations that the mathematical proof has undergone from its inception to its versatile, present-day use, considering the advent of high-speed computing machines. Though there are many truths to be discovered in this book, by the end it is clear that there is no formalized approach or standard method of discovery to date. Most of the proofs are discussed in detail with figures and equations accompanying them, allowing both the professional mathematician and those less familiar with mathematics to derive the same joy from reading this book.


Contents
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1. What is a Proof and Why?.
2. The Ancients.
3. The Middle Ages and Calculation.
4. The Dawn of the Modern Age.
5. Hilbert and the Twentieth Century.
6. The Four -Color Theorem.
7. Computer -Generated Proofs.
8. The Computer as a Mathematical Aid.
9. Aspects of Mathematical Life.
10. The Sociology of Mathematical Proof.
11. A Legacy of Elusive Proofs.
12. John Horgan and "The Death of Proof".
13. Closing Thoughts.
Index of Names.
References.
Index

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