Posts Tagged ‘induction’
Thursday, December 17th, 2009
The Story of the Infinite Hotel
Description
A detailed tale of the Infinite Hotel. Step by step story including several pictures and an explanation of the Infinite Hotel for reference.
Overview
The Infinite Hotel is a famous math story and puzzle that was thought of by David Hilbert, a German mathematician. Sometimes the Infinite Hotel is called Hilbert’s Paradox of the Grand Hotel. It states that if one person comes into the hotel and all the rooms are full, they can all move down one room and the person can then take the first room. If k number of people come into the hotel and all the rooms are full, everyone can move down k number of rooms to make room for the people that just arrived. And, if double the amount of people that are already there are looking for rooms, everyone in room n can move to room 2n, making room for all the new arrivals in the odd-numbered rooms. This example of the Infinite Hotel can be used in certain forms of mathematical induction, and also in set theory and studies dealing with infinite numbers.
Tags: algebra, arrivals, David Hilbert, double, down, German, grand, Hilbert, hotel, induction, infinite, infinity, k, move, n!, new, numbers, paradox, room, set, space, theory
Posted in Algebra | No Comments »
Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009
Well-Ordering Principle Explained
Description
A detailed tutorial on the well-ordering principle. Step by step tutorial including several examples of the well-ordering principle for reference.
Overview
The well-ordering principle states that every nonempty subset of the set of all natural numbers has a smallest element. This is possible because the number zero is not included in the set of natural numbers, and therefore cannot appear in a subset of all natural numbers. The well-ordering principle is equivalant to the Principle of Mathematical Induction, but they are proved in different ways and have different sets. Sometimes it is a better idea to use the Well-Ordering Principle, and other times it is a better idea to use the Principle of Mathematical Induction.
Tags: discrete math, element, induction, mathematical, n!, natural, nonempty, number, ordering, PMI, principle, set, smallest, subset, well, well-ordering, WOP
Posted in Discrete Math | No Comments »
Thursday, October 22nd, 2009
Inductive Sets in Set Theory
Description
A detailed tutorial on inductive sets in set theory. Step by step tutorial including several examples of inductive sets in set theory for reference.
Overview
An inductive set is a continuous set of natural numbers that follows a basic pattern of n + 1. This means that for all numbers in the set, that number plus the number one must also be included in the set.The set does not need to include all natural numbers – that is, the set may start at any natural number provided it is greater than or equal to one. However, the set must continue to infinity or it cannot be considered an inductive set.
Tags: -1, addition, complete, continuous, discrete math, element, equal, greater, induction, inductive, infinity, mathematical, natural, numbers, one, pattern, principle, set, subset, theory
Posted in Discrete Math | No Comments »
Thursday, October 8th, 2009
Introduction to the Principle of Mathematical Induction
Description
A detailed tutorial of the principle of mathematical induction. Step by step tutorial including several examples of the principle of mathematical induction for reference.
Overview
The principle of mathematical induction is basically a method of proof-writing, which involves trying to prove that a certain statement is true for all natural numbers. The first statement will be proved, and then the next statement, and the next one. In this way, it is similar to a proof by exhaustion. However, since the statement must be proven for all numbers, eventually an integer will be used in the calculations. This should not be confused with mathematical induction – the principle of mathematical induction is actually a type of deductive reasoning.
Tags: deductive, discrete math, exhaustion, induction, interger, k, Math, mathematical, n!, natural, number, principle, proof, reasoning, statement
Posted in Discrete Math | No Comments »
Thursday, October 1st, 2009
Relationship of Inductive Reasoning to Mathematics
Description
A detailed tutorial on the relationship of inductive reasoning to mathematics. Step by step tutorial including several examples of the relationship of inductive reasoning to mathematics for reference.
Overview
Inductive reasoning, also known as induction, is a type of reasoning that involves moving from a set of specific facts to a general conclusion. It is a form of theory building in which specific facts are used to create theories that relate facts. These theories are called theorems and are very common in all branches of math.
Tags: conclusion, facts, induction, inductive logic, inductive reasoning, Math, propositions, theorems
Posted in Math | No Comments »
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009
How to Solve De Moivre’s Theorem
Description
A detailed tutorial on the solving of De Moivre’s Theorem. Step by step tutorial including several examples of how to solve De Moivre’s Theorem for reference.
Overview
De Moivre’s Theorem was named after Abraham de Moivre. It states that any complex number (or any real number) x and any integer n that 
This is called De Moivre’s Formula. This formula is important because it connects complex numbers with trigonometry.
Tags: Abraham de Moivre, complex, de moivre's formula, de moivre's theorem, differential equations, euler's formula, imaginary, induction, Math, numbers, real, trigonometry
Posted in Differential Equations | No Comments »