Remarks on simple proofs
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Publication date
2017
Authors
Iemhoff, Rosalie
Editors
Kossak, Roman
Ording, Philip
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Supervisors
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Part of book
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taverne
Abstract
This note consists of a collection of observations on the notion of simplicity in the setting of proofs. It discusses its properties under formalization and its relation to the length of proofs, showing that in certain settings simplicity and brevity exclude each other. It is argued that when simplicity is interpreted as purity of method, different foundational standpoints may affect which proofs are considered to be simple and which are not.
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Citation
Iemhoff, R 2017, Remarks on simple proofs. in R Kossak & P Ording (eds), Simplicity: Ideals of Practice in Mathematics and the Arts. Mathematics, Culture, and the Arts, Springer, pp. 143-151. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-53385-8_12