Mathematics poll

[ciphergoth]

Inspired by a similar poll in 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]

Comments

[ali-in-london.livejournal.com]

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.

Now I want to organise a "bring a bottle and a theorem" party.

[simont]

You'd have to do something about the considerable risk of two people turning up wearing the same theorem.

(... and also, at the beginning of the party, sort the proofs in descending order of complexity, so that anyone wanting to listen to a complicated one can do so while still relatively sober ...)

[keirf.livejournal.com]

It wouldn't matter if two people turned up with the same theorem, provided they each brought along a different proof.

[valkyriekaren.livejournal.com]

Also, sort the alcohol by proof.