Introduction to Proof Henri Picciotto（介绍亨利皮乔托的证据）.pdfVIP

Urban School / Math 2B Introduction to Proof Urban School / Math 2B Proof, p. 1 Introduction to Proof Proving Something is False Conjectures can be proved false with a single counter-example. For example: In a quadrilateral, if all angles are congruent, then all sides are congruent. This is false, because a rectangle that is not a square constitutes a counter-example: all its angles are congruent, and yet all the sides are not congruent. Proving Something is True Conjectures can be proved true by using a logical argument, based on known facts. When a conjecture has been proved true, it is called a theorem. A proof is a logical argument. In math, something is considered true if it has been proved. It is not enough for something to seem true. In writing a proof, you can only use facts that have previously been proved, or facts that are assumed true without proof. In this class, we will assume the following facts are true without proving them: • Vertical angles are congruent. • If a line crosses two parallel lines, then corresponding angles are congruent. (also alternate interior) • If the corresponding (or alternate interior) angles are congruent, then the lines are parallel. • The sum of the angles in a triangle is 180°. • SSS, SAS, ASA for congruent triangles. • SSS, SAS, AA for similar triangles. Urban School / Math 2B Proof, p. 2 Ingredients of a proof Setup: • A statement of what you are trying to prove, • An “if, then” diagram, • A figure, and • A “given, prove” statement, based on the figure Example The Isosceles Triangle Theorem: in a triangle, if two sides are congruent, then the angles opposite them are congruent. If-then diagram: