Mathematicians have verified the Four Colour Theorem by programming a computer to check a large number of cases. Does such a verification count as a proof?

@4ffy@lemmy.ml

Checking every possible case with a computer doesn’t give any great insight into mathematics, but proof by exhaustion is as valid a method as any other.

Mad

the title says “a large number of cases” which isn’t necessarily every possible case.

linking the original story or paper would have been good so we could check these things

Liwott

That’s the key indeed. Testing “a large number of cases” is not a proof per se, but can be proven to be sufficient, which is what happened with the four color theorem

@snek_boi@lemmy.ml

Interesting question. What do you think, @tomasz@lemmy.ml?

@sexy_peach

Mathematicians have verified the Four Colour Theorem by programming a computer to check a large number of cases. Does such a verification count as a proof?

Mathematicians have verified the Four Colour Theorem by programming a computer to check a large number of cases. Does such a verification count as a proof?

asklemmy