Deduction, computation, experiment

exploring the effectiveness of proof

Edited by
Rossella Lupacchini, Giovanna Corsi

Springer

2008

Abstract

What is a proof for? What is the characteristic use of a proof as a computation, as opposed to its use as an experiment? What is the relationship between mathematical procedures
and natural processes?
The essays collected in this volume address such questions from different points of view and will interest students and scholars in several branches of scientific knowledge. Some
essays deal with the logical skeleton of deduction, others examine the interplay between natural systems and models of computation, yet others use significant results from the
natural sciences to illustrate the character of procedures in applied mathematics. Focusing on relevant conceptual and logical issues underlying the overall quest for proving, the volume seeks to cast light on what the effectiveness of proof rests on.