Gödel Without (Too Many) Tears

Gödel Without (Too Many) Tears PDF Author: Peter Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781916906303
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 146

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Book Description
Kurt Gödel's famous First Incompleteness Theorem shows that for any sufficiently rich theory that contains enough arithmetic, there are some arithmetical truths the theory cannot prove. How is this remarkable result proved? This short book explains. It also discusses Gödel's Second Incompleteness Theorem. Based on lecture notes for a course given in Cambridge for many years, the aim is to make the Theorems available, clearly and accessibly, even to those with a quite limited formal background.

Gödel Without (Too Many) Tears

Gödel Without (Too Many) Tears PDF Author: Peter Smith
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781916906303
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 146

Get Book Here

Book Description
Kurt Gödel's famous First Incompleteness Theorem shows that for any sufficiently rich theory that contains enough arithmetic, there are some arithmetical truths the theory cannot prove. How is this remarkable result proved? This short book explains. It also discusses Gödel's Second Incompleteness Theorem. Based on lecture notes for a course given in Cambridge for many years, the aim is to make the Theorems available, clearly and accessibly, even to those with a quite limited formal background.

An Introduction to Gödel's Theorems

An Introduction to Gödel's Theorems PDF Author: Peter Smith
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1139465937
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 376

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Book Description
In 1931, the young Kurt Gödel published his First Incompleteness Theorem, which tells us that, for any sufficiently rich theory of arithmetic, there are some arithmetical truths the theory cannot prove. This remarkable result is among the most intriguing (and most misunderstood) in logic. Gödel also outlined an equally significant Second Incompleteness Theorem. How are these Theorems established, and why do they matter? Peter Smith answers these questions by presenting an unusual variety of proofs for the First Theorem, showing how to prove the Second Theorem, and exploring a family of related results (including some not easily available elsewhere). The formal explanations are interwoven with discussions of the wider significance of the two Theorems. This book will be accessible to philosophy students with a limited formal background. It is equally suitable for mathematics students taking a first course in mathematical logic.

Forever Undecided

Forever Undecided PDF Author: Raymond M. Smullyan
Publisher: Knopf
ISBN: 0307962466
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 286

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Book Description
Forever Undecided is the most challenging yet of Raymond Smullyan’s puzzle collections. It is, at the same time, an introduction—ingenious, instructive, entertaining—to Gödel’s famous theorems. With all the wit and charm that have delighted readers of his previous books, Smullyan transports us once again to that magical island where knights always tell the truth and knaves always lie. Here we meet a new and amazing array of characters, visitors to the island, seeking to determine the natives’ identities. Among them: the census-taker McGregor; a philosophical-logician in search of his flighty bird-wife, Oona; and a regiment of Reasoners (timid ones, normal ones, conceited, modest, and peculiar ones) armed with the rules of propositional logic (if X is true, then so is Y). By following the Reasoners through brain-tingling exercises and adventures—including journeys into the “other possible worlds” of Kripke semantics—even the most illogical of us come to understand Gödel’s two great theorems on incompleteness and undecidability, some of their philosophical and mathematical implications, and why we, like Gödel himself, must remain Forever Undecided!

The shackles of conviction

The shackles of conviction PDF Author: James R. Meyer
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781906706005
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 346

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Book Description


What Is Random?

What Is Random? PDF Author: Edward Beltrami
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 1071607995
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 203

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Book Description
In this fascinating book, mathematician Ed Beltrami takes a close enough look at randomness to make it mysteriously disappear. The results of coin tosses, it turns out, are determined from the start, and only our incomplete knowledge makes them look random. "Random" sequences of numbers are more elusive, but Godels undecidability theorem informs us that we will never know. Those familiar with quantum indeterminacy assert that order is an illusion, and that the world is fundamentally random. Yet randomness is also an illusion. Perhaps order and randomness, like waves and particles, are only two sides of the same (tossed) coin.

Gödel's Theorem

Gödel's Theorem PDF Author: Torkel Franzén
Publisher: CRC Press
ISBN: 1439876924
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 184

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Book Description
"Among the many expositions of Gödel's incompleteness theorems written for non-specialists, this book stands apart. With exceptional clarity, Franzén gives careful, non-technical explanations both of what those theorems say and, more importantly, what they do not. No other book aims, as his does, to address in detail the misunderstandings and abuses of the incompleteness theorems that are so rife in popular discussions of their significance. As an antidote to the many spurious appeals to incompleteness in theological, anti-mechanist and post-modernist debates, it is a valuable addition to the literature." --- John W. Dawson, author of Logical Dilemmas: The Life and Work of Kurt Gödel

Incompleteness and Computability

Incompleteness and Computability PDF Author: Richard Zach
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
ISBN: 9781548138080
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 228

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Book Description
A textbook on recursive function theory and G�del's incompleteness theorems. Also covers models of arithmetic and second-order logic.

Logic Matters

Logic Matters PDF Author: P. T. Geach
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520038479
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 356

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Book Description
"This is a significant and ofren rather demanding collection of essays. It is an anthology purring together the uncollected works of an important twentieth-century philosopher. Many of the articles treat one or another of the more important issues considered by analytic philosophers during the last quarter-century. Of significant importance to philosophers interested in researching the many topics contained in Logic Matters is the inclusion in this anthology of a rather extensive eight-page name-topic index."--Thomist "The papers are arranged by topic: Historical Essays, Traditional Logic, Theory of Reference and Syntax, Intentionality, Quotation and Semantics, Set Theory, Identity Theory, Assertion, Imperatives and Practical Reasoning, Logic in Metaphysics and Theology. The broad range of issues that have engaged Geach's complex and systematic reasoning is impressive. In addition to classical logic, topics in ethics, ontology, and even the logic of religious dogmas are tackled .... the work in this collection is more brilliant and ingenious than it is difficult and demanding."--Philosophy of Science "Geach displays his mastery of applying logical techniques and concepts to philosophical questions. Compared with most works in philosophical logic this book is remarkable for its range of topics. Plato, Aristotle, Aquinas, Russell, Wittgenstein, and Quine all figure prominently. Geach's style is remarkably lively considering the rightly argued matter. Although some of the articles treat rather technical questions in mathematical logic, most are accessible to philosophers with modest backgrounds in logic." --Choice

Good Math

Good Math PDF Author: Mark C. Chu-Carroll
Publisher: Pragmatic Bookshelf
ISBN: 168050360X
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 261

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Book Description
Mathematics is beautiful--and it can be fun and exciting as well as practical. Good Math is your guide to some of the most intriguing topics from two thousand years of mathematics: from Egyptian fractions to Turing machines; from the real meaning of numbers to proof trees, group symmetry, and mechanical computation. If you've ever wondered what lay beyond the proofs you struggled to complete in high school geometry, or what limits the capabilities of computer on your desk, this is the book for you. Why do Roman numerals persist? How do we know that some infinities are larger than others? And how can we know for certain a program will ever finish? In this fast-paced tour of modern and not-so-modern math, computer scientist Mark Chu-Carroll explores some of the greatest breakthroughs and disappointments of more than two thousand years of mathematical thought. There is joy and beauty in mathematics, and in more than two dozen essays drawn from his popular "Good Math" blog, you'll find concepts, proofs, and examples that are often surprising, counterintuitive, or just plain weird. Mark begins his journey with the basics of numbers, with an entertaining trip through the integers and the natural, rational, irrational, and transcendental numbers. The voyage continues with a look at some of the oddest numbers in mathematics, including zero, the golden ratio, imaginary numbers, Roman numerals, and Egyptian and continuing fractions. After a deep dive into modern logic, including an introduction to linear logic and the logic-savvy Prolog language, the trip concludes with a tour of modern set theory and the advances and paradoxes of modern mechanical computing. If your high school or college math courses left you grasping for the inner meaning behind the numbers, Mark's book will both entertain and enlighten you.

Math with Bad Drawings

Math with Bad Drawings PDF Author: Ben Orlin
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
ISBN: 0316509027
Category : Mathematics
Languages : en
Pages : 556

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Book Description
A hilarious reeducation in mathematics-full of joy, jokes, and stick figures-that sheds light on the countless practical and wonderful ways that math structures and shapes our world. In Math With Bad Drawings, Ben Orlin reveals to us what math actually is; its myriad uses, its strange symbols, and the wild leaps of logic and faith that define the usually impenetrable work of the mathematician. Truth and knowledge come in multiple forms: colorful drawings, encouraging jokes, and the stories and insights of an empathetic teacher who believes that math should belong to everyone. Orlin shows us how to think like a mathematician by teaching us a brand-new game of tic-tac-toe, how to understand an economic crises by rolling a pair of dice, and the mathematical headache that ensues when attempting to build a spherical Death Star. Every discussion in the book is illustrated with Orlin's trademark "bad drawings," which convey his message and insights with perfect pitch and clarity. With 24 chapters covering topics from the electoral college to human genetics to the reasons not to trust statistics, Math with Bad Drawings is a life-changing book for the math-estranged and math-enamored alike.