CSC165H1 SLOG4 BY MINGYU LIU

Mingyu Liu @ CSC165H1 SLOG4

In this week’s lecture I have learned something more challenging than language of Math which is proof. According to course note, basically, proof is an argument that convinces someone who is logical, careful and precise and it is a tool in order to help you to understand why something is true. In the three hours lecture, I not only learn about what are proofs, but also the form and detail of proofs.

The form and method of proof is what I grasp well in this week’s lecture. To start, proof form is used to describe what method do you use in your step of proofing a statement and make the audience more easily to understand. Assuming I do not write any explanations in my proof form, the audience will certainly get confused if they have limited math knowledge, because the methods which I use to proof the statement are based on my math knowledge; therefore, they will not understand what I am trying to say unless I provide my explanations in my proof form clearly. For example, a question which is asked to proof ‘if n is odd, then n^2 must be odd’. There is a step which is square both sides in order to get some algebra. If I write the method in English or our symbolic form, the audience will understand this step sufficiently. As a result, proof form is an essential part of proofing.

Another thing which I learn very well is using contrapositive method to proof. The contrapositive method is a useful tool, because is hard to proof in original direction sometimes. For instance, when I proof something that is odd, but it is hard to proof in normal direction; therefore, we can proof not even instead of odd.

The hardest thing I have learned in this week is contradiction which I will ask TA in this week’s tutorial. Overall, professor teaches me some useful tips about course material and hopefully I will get a great mark in term test.

Forth slog
Mingyu Liu