2,170 research outputs found
Proof-checking Euclid
We used computer proof-checking methods to verify the correctness of our
proofs of the propositions in Euclid Book I. We used axioms as close as
possible to those of Euclid, in a language closely related to that used in
Tarski's formal geometry. We used proofs as close as possible to those given by
Euclid, but filling Euclid's gaps and correcting errors. Euclid Book I has 48
propositions, we proved 235 theorems. The extras were partly "Book Zero",
preliminaries of a very fundamental nature, partly propositions that Euclid
omitted but were used implicitly, partly advanced theorems that we found
necessary to fill Euclid's gaps, and partly just variants of Euclid's
propositions. We wrote these proofs in a simple fragment of first-order logic
corresponding to Euclid's logic, debugged them using a custom software tool,
and then checked them in the well-known and trusted proof checkers HOL Light
and Coq.Comment: 53 page
Improving QED-Tutrix by Automating the Generation of Proofs
The idea of assisting teachers with technological tools is not new.
Mathematics in general, and geometry in particular, provide interesting
challenges when developing educative softwares, both in the education and
computer science aspects. QED-Tutrix is an intelligent tutor for geometry
offering an interface to help high school students in the resolution of
demonstration problems. It focuses on specific goals: 1) to allow the student
to freely explore the problem and its figure, 2) to accept proofs elements in
any order, 3) to handle a variety of proofs, which can be customized by the
teacher, and 4) to be able to help the student at any step of the resolution of
the problem, if the need arises. The software is also independent from the
intervention of the teacher. QED-Tutrix offers an interesting approach to
geometry education, but is currently crippled by the lengthiness of the process
of implementing new problems, a task that must still be done manually.
Therefore, one of the main focuses of the QED-Tutrix' research team is to ease
the implementation of new problems, by automating the tedious step of finding
all possible proofs for a given problem. This automation must follow
fundamental constraints in order to create problems compatible with QED-Tutrix:
1) readability of the proofs, 2) accessibility at a high school level, and 3)
possibility for the teacher to modify the parameters defining the
"acceptability" of a proof. We present in this paper the result of our
preliminary exploration of possible avenues for this task. Automated theorem
proving in geometry is a widely studied subject, and various provers exist.
However, our constraints are quite specific and some adaptation would be
required to use an existing prover. We have therefore implemented a prototype
of automated prover to suit our needs. The future goal is to compare
performances and usability in our specific use-case between the existing
provers and our implementation.Comment: In Proceedings ThEdu'17, arXiv:1803.0072
Automated Theorem Proving in GeoGebra: Current Achievements
GeoGebra is an open-source educational mathematics software tool, with millions of users worldwide. It has a number of features (integration of computer algebra, dynamic geometry, spreadsheet, etc.), primarily focused on facilitating student experiments, and not on formal reasoning. Since including automated deduction tools in GeoGebra could bring a whole new range of teaching and learning scenarios, and since automated theorem proving and discovery in geometry has reached a rather mature stage, we embarked on a project of incorporating and testing a number of different automated provers for geometry in GeoGebra. In this paper, we present the current achievements and status of this project, and discuss various relevant challenges that this project raises in the educational, mathematical and software contexts. We will describe, first, the recent and forthcoming changes demanded by our project, regarding the implementation and the user interface of GeoGebra. Then we present our vision of the educational scenarios that could be supported by automated reasoning features, and how teachers and students could benefit from the present work. In fact, current performance of GeoGebra, extended with automated deduction tools, is already very promising—many complex theorems can be proved in less than 1 second. Thus, we believe that many new and exciting ways of using GeoGebra in the classroom are on their way
Mathematical practice, crowdsourcing, and social machines
The highest level of mathematics has traditionally been seen as a solitary
endeavour, to produce a proof for review and acceptance by research peers.
Mathematics is now at a remarkable inflexion point, with new technology
radically extending the power and limits of individuals. Crowdsourcing pulls
together diverse experts to solve problems; symbolic computation tackles huge
routine calculations; and computers check proofs too long and complicated for
humans to comprehend.
Mathematical practice is an emerging interdisciplinary field which draws on
philosophy and social science to understand how mathematics is produced. Online
mathematical activity provides a novel and rich source of data for empirical
investigation of mathematical practice - for example the community question
answering system {\it mathoverflow} contains around 40,000 mathematical
conversations, and {\it polymath} collaborations provide transcripts of the
process of discovering proofs. Our preliminary investigations have demonstrated
the importance of "soft" aspects such as analogy and creativity, alongside
deduction and proof, in the production of mathematics, and have given us new
ways to think about the roles of people and machines in creating new
mathematical knowledge. We discuss further investigation of these resources and
what it might reveal.
Crowdsourced mathematical activity is an example of a "social machine", a new
paradigm, identified by Berners-Lee, for viewing a combination of people and
computers as a single problem-solving entity, and the subject of major
international research endeavours. We outline a future research agenda for
mathematics social machines, a combination of people, computers, and
mathematical archives to create and apply mathematics, with the potential to
change the way people do mathematics, and to transform the reach, pace, and
impact of mathematics research.Comment: To appear, Springer LNCS, Proceedings of Conferences on Intelligent
Computer Mathematics, CICM 2013, July 2013 Bath, U
What Do We Mean by Mathematical Proof?
Mathematical proof lies at the foundations of mathematics, but there are several notions of what mathematical proof is, or might be. In fact, the idea of mathematical proof continues to evolve. In this article, I review the body of literature that argues that there are at least two widely held meanings of proof, and that the standards of proof are negotiated and agreed upon by the members of mathematical communities. The formal view of proof is contrasted with the view of proofs as arguments intended to convince a reader. These views are examined in the context of the various roles of proof. The conceptions of proof held by students, and communities of students, are discussed, as well as the pedagogy of introductory proof-writing classes
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