Mathematics and Plausible Reasoning - Softcover

George Polya

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1639235663 ISBN 13: 9781639235667

Publisher: Lushena Books, 2023

Synopsis

This two volume classic comprises two titles: "Patterns of Plausible Inference" and "Induction and Analogy in Mathematics". This is a guide to the practical art of plausible reasoning, particularly in mathematics, but also in every field of human activity. Using mathematics as the example par excellence, Polya shows how even the most rigorous deductive discipline is heavily dependent on techniques of guessing, inductive reasoning, and reasoning by analogy. In solving a problem, the answer must be guessed at before a proof can be given, and guesses are usually made from a knowledge of facts, experience, and hunches. The truly creative mathematician must be a good guesser first and a good prover afterward; many important theorems have been guessed but no proved until much later. In the same way, solutions to problems can be guessed, and a god guesser is much more likely to find a correct solution. This work might have been called "How to Become a Good Guesser."-From the Dust Jacket.

Edition details

• Publisher: Lushena Books
• Publication date: 2023
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1639235663
• ISBN 13: 9781639235667
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 296