next up previous
Next: Proof by Contrapositive [GS] Up: No Title Previous: Case Analysis [GS]

Proof by Contradiction [GS]

It is common in mathematics to prove a theorem p by assuming it is false and deriving a contradiction, i.e., derive false or something equivalent to false, like tex2html_wrap_inline653 . The justification for this proof technique is the following property about implication, repeated from Section 2:

tex2html_wrap_inline571

By substituting tex2html_wrap_inline657 for p and using double negation, we derive the theorem:

tex2html_wrap_inline661 (Proof by Contradiction)

Hence, having proved that tex2html_wrap_inline663 is a theorem, you may conclude that p is a theorem.



Norman Papernick
Thu Mar 21 14:07:58 EST 1996