ciphergoth: (Default)
Paul Crowley ([personal profile] ciphergoth) wrote2009-02-18 11:03 pm

Mathematics poll

Inspired by a similar poll in [livejournal.com profile] palmer1984's journal.

About the "proof" question below: examples of the kind of proof I mean would be a proof that there are infinitely many primes, or that the square root of two is irrational, or of Pythagoras's Theorem. A proof in computer science counts too. By "know a proof off by heart" I mean that you'd be able to convince someone of it at a party, if they had the background to follow the proof.

If you know lots of proofs, feel free to choose one you particularly like in the last question...

[Poll #1351621]

[identity profile] elsmi.livejournal.com 2009-02-19 06:12 am (UTC)(link)
For whatever it's worth, that's also roughly the reaction of most mathematics grad students I've known.

[identity profile] ciphergoth.livejournal.com 2009-02-19 08:29 am (UTC)(link)
BTW your example theorem was the same as mine, I think!