Mathematical fit : a case study

• Mathematicians routinely pass judgments on mathematical proofs. A proof might be elegant, cumbersome, beautiful, or awkward. Perhaps the highest praise is that a proof is right, that is that the proof fits the theoremin an optimal way. It is also common to judge that a proof fits better than another, or that a proof does not fit a theorem at all. This paper attempts to clarify the notion of mathematical fit. We suggest six criteria that distinguish proofs as being more or less fitting, and provide examples from several different mathematical fields.

Ämnesord

HUMANIORA  -- Filosofi, etik och religion -- Filosofi (hsv//swe)

HUMANITIES  -- Philosophy, Ethics and Religion -- Philosophy (hsv//eng)

NATURVETENSKAP  -- Matematik (hsv//swe)

NATURAL SCIENCES  -- Mathematics (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Fit

aesthetics

explanation

Aesthetics

estetik

Mathematics

matematik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

ref (ämneskategori)

art (ämneskategori)