On proofs without words …a thousand words?

Community Mathematics Centre, CoMaC (2015) On proofs without words …a thousand words? At Right Angles, 4 (1). pp. 7-10. ISSN 2582-1873

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Abstract

A “proof without words” sounds like a contradiction in terms! How can you prove something if you are not permitted the use of any words? In spite of the seeming absurdity of the idea, the notion of a proof without words — generally shortened to PWW — has acquired great popularity in mathematics in recent decades, and every now and then we come across new, elegant PWWs for old, familiar propositions. In this short article the seemingly contradictory nature of a PWW is discussed, and some examples of PWWs are presented.

Item Type:	Articles in APF Magazines
Authors:	Community Mathematics Centre, CoMaC
Document Language:	Language English
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Visual proof, Pythagoras theorem, cosine rule, tan 15, Triangular number, Arithmetic mean, Geometric mean, Harmonic mean
Subjects:	Natural Sciences > Mathematics
Divisions:	Azim Premji University > University Publications > At Right Angles
Full Text Status:	Public
URI:	http://publications.azimpremjiuniversity.edu.in/id/eprint/3092
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