Re: Math as an Experimental Science

On Wed, 30 Aug 2006, Proginoskes wrote:
Han de Bruijn wrote:
William Elliot wrote:

Riddle of the Day. If the statement of a computer discovered and proven
theorem, is so long and complex that nobody can read it, (ie, is
incomprehensible), is it meaningful and useful (does it really exist)?

Huh, huh. Riddle of the Day. How about Wiles' Court Room Style Proof of
Fermat's Last Theorem? And other such modern "proofs" ...

What was that about?

Including the Four Color Theorem proofs.

Nice proof there. Does it come with a bugless warrentee?

Related riddle: Should proofs be limited in length to what a single
human being can comprehend?

Geesh, then proofs could be limited to at most a few lines.

(If so, there are only a finite number of provable theorems. And if so,
which specific human being should be used?)

Pick one and then after his life time, no more proofs. How about
collective collaboration, that old time tested and well established
tradition?
.

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