Science and Faith, two good friends…

maths_1694593c

If no human can check a proof of a theorem, does it really count as mathematics? That’s the intriguing question raised by the latest computer-assisted proof. It is as large as the entire content of Wikipedia, making it unlikely that will ever be checked by a human being.

“It might be that somehow we have hit statements which are essentially non-human mathematics,” says Alexei Lisitsa of the University of Liverpool, UK, who came up with the proof together with colleague Boris Konev.

The proof is a significant step towards solving a long-standing puzzle known as the Erdős discrepancy problem. It was proposed in the 1930s by the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős, who offered $500 for its solution. (1)

READ ALSO:  Calculating probabilities.

And now, we just have to BELIEVE the computer. To have FAITH in his results.
But isn’t that what we always do when we believe someone has proved a theorem – especially in a sector where we are not experts in?

Believing is a much more essential part of science than you might think….
I can prove it to you. Trust me!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Comments (

)

%d bloggers like this: