Re:Galois Theory
by chongli on Thursday August 15, 2024 @02:52PM
(#41259207)
No. That's the colloquial definition of formal. In mathematics, the word formal refers to something more specific: one or more statements written using a set of symbols which have fully-defined rules for mechanically transforming them into another form.
A formal proof is then one which proceeds by a series of these mechanical steps beginning with one or more premises and ending with a conclusion (or goal).
Re:Galois Theory
by chongli on Thursday August 15, 2024 @04:37PM
(#41260109)
If you're a formalist in philosophy of math, then math is neither true nor false, it's merely a bunch of meaningless symbols you transform via mechanical rules.
A formal proof is then one which proceeds by a series of these mechanical steps beginning with one or more premises and ending with a conclusion (or goal).