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Collatz Conjecture
The Collatz conjecture is one of the most famous List of unsolved problems in mathematics, unsolved problems in mathematics. The conjecture asks whether repeating two simple arithmetic operations will eventually transform every positive integer into 1. It concerns integer sequence, sequences of integers in which each term is obtained from the previous term as follows: if a term is Parity (mathematics), even, the next term is one half of it. If a term is odd, the next term is 3 times the previous term plus 1. The conjecture is that these sequences always reach 1, no matter which positive integer is chosen to start the sequence. The conjecture has been shown to hold for all positive integers up to , but no general proof has been found. It is named after the mathematician Lothar Collatz, who introduced the idea in 1937, two years after receiving his doctorate. The sequence of numbers involved is sometimes referred to as the hailstone sequence, hailstone numbers or hailstone numerals ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Almost All
In mathematics, the term "almost all" means "all but a negligible quantity". More precisely, if X is a set (mathematics), set, "almost all elements of X" means "all elements of X but those in a negligible set, negligible subset of X". The meaning of "negligible" depends on the mathematical context; for instance, it can mean finite set, finite, countable set, countable, or null set, null. In contrast, "almost no" means "a negligible quantity"; that is, "almost no elements of X" means "a negligible quantity of elements of X". Meanings in different areas of mathematics Prevalent meaning Throughout mathematics, "almost all" is sometimes used to mean "all (elements of an infinite set) except for finite set, finitely many". This use occurs in philosophy as well. Similarly, "almost all" can mean "all (elements of an uncountable set) except for countable set, countably many". Examples: * Almost all positive integers are greater than 1012. * Almost all prime numbers are odd (2 is the only ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
P-adic Numbers
In number theory, given a prime number , the -adic numbers form an extension of the rational numbers which is distinct from the real numbers, though with some similar properties; -adic numbers can be written in a form similar to (possibly infinite) decimals, but with digits based on a prime number rather than ten, and extending to the left rather than to the right. For example, comparing the expansion of the rational number \tfrac15 in base vs. the -adic expansion, \begin \tfrac15 &= 0.01210121\ldots \ (\text 3) &&= 0\cdot 3^0 + 0\cdot 3^ + 1\cdot 3^ + 2\cdot 3^ + \cdots \\ mu\tfrac15 &= \dots 121012102 \ \ (\text) &&= \cdots + 2\cdot 3^3 + 1 \cdot 3^2 + 0\cdot3^1 + 2 \cdot 3^0. \end Formally, given a prime number , a -adic number can be defined as a series s=\sum_^\infty a_i p^i = a_k p^k + a_ p^ + a_ p^ + \cdots where is an integer (possibly negative), and each a_i is an integer such that 0\le a_i < p. A -adic integer is a -adic number such that < ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Lower Bound
In mathematics, particularly in order theory, an upper bound or majorant of a subset of some preordered set is an element of that is every element of . Dually, a lower bound or minorant of is defined to be an element of that is less than or equal to every element of . A set with an upper (respectively, lower) bound is said to be bounded from above or majorized (respectively bounded from below or minorized) by that bound. The terms bounded above (bounded below) are also used in the mathematical literature for sets that have upper (respectively lower) bounds. Examples For example, is a lower bound for the set (as a subset of the integers or of the real numbers, etc.), and so is . On the other hand, is not a lower bound for since it is not smaller than every element in . and other numbers ''x'' such that would be an upper bound for ''S''. The set has as both an upper bound and a lower bound; all other numbers are either an upper bound or a lower bound for tha ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mertens Conjecture
In mathematics, the Mertens conjecture is the statement that the Mertens function M(n) is bounded by \pm\sqrt. Although now disproven, it had been shown to imply the Riemann hypothesis. It was conjectured by Thomas Joannes Stieltjes, in an 1885 letter to Charles Hermite (reprinted in ), and again in print by , and disproved by . It is a striking example of a mathematical conjecture proven false despite a large amount of computational evidence in its favor. Definition In number theory, the Mertens function is defined as : M(n) = \sum_ \mu(k), where μ(k) is the Möbius function; the Mertens conjecture is that for all ''n'' > 1, : , M(n), < \sqrt. Disproof of the conjecture Stieltjes claimed in 1885 to have proven a weaker result, namely that was[...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pólya Conjecture
In number theory, the Pólya conjecture (or Pólya's conjecture) stated that "most" (i.e., 50% or more) of the natural numbers less than any given number have an ''odd'' number of prime factors. The conjecture was set forth by the Hungarian mathematician George Pólya in 1919, and proved false in 1958 by C. Brian Haselgrove. Though mathematicians typically refer to this statement as the Pólya conjecture, Pólya never actually conjectured that the statement was true; rather, he showed that the truth of the statement would imply the Riemann hypothesis. For this reason, it is more accurately called "Pólya's problem". The size of the smallest counterexample is often used to demonstrate the fact that a conjecture can be true for many cases and still fail to hold in general, providing an illustration of the strong law of small numbers. Statement The Pólya conjecture states that for any ''n'' > 1, if the natural numbers In mathematics, the natural numbers are the nu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Counterexamples
A counterexample is any exception to a generalization. In logic a counterexample disproves the generalization, and does so rigorously in the fields of mathematics and philosophy. For example, the fact that "student John Smith is not lazy" is a counterexample to the generalization "students are lazy", and both a counterexample to, and disproof of, the universal quantification "all students are lazy." In mathematics In mathematics, counterexamples are often used to prove the boundaries of possible theorems. By using counterexamples to show that certain conjectures are false, mathematical researchers can then avoid going down blind alleys and learn to modify conjectures to produce provable theorems. It is sometimes said that mathematical development consists primarily in finding (and proving) theorems and counterexamples. Rectangle example Suppose that a mathematician is studying geometry and shapes, and she wishes to prove certain theorems about them. She conjectures that "All rect ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Power Of Two
A power of two is a number of the form where is an integer, that is, the result of exponentiation with number 2, two as the Base (exponentiation), base and integer as the exponent. In the fast-growing hierarchy, is exactly equal to f_1^n(1). In the Hardy hierarchy, is exactly equal to H_(1). Powers of two with Sign (mathematics)#Terminology for signs, non-negative exponents are integers: , , and is two multiplication, multiplied by itself times. The first ten powers of 2 for non-negative values of are: :1, 2, 4, 8, 16 (number), 16, 32 (number), 32, 64 (number), 64, 128 (number), 128, 256 (number), 256, 512 (number), 512, ... By comparison, powers of two with negative exponents are fractions: for positive integer , is one half multiplied by itself times. Thus the first few negative powers of 2 are , , , , etc. Sometimes these are called ''inverse powers of two'' because each is the multiplicative inverse of a positive power of two. Base of the binary numeral sy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maximum
In mathematical analysis, the maximum and minimum of a function (mathematics), function are, respectively, the greatest and least value taken by the function. Known generically as extremum, they may be defined either within a given Interval (mathematics), range (the ''local'' or ''relative'' extrema) or on the entire domain of a function, domain (the ''global'' or ''absolute'' extrema) of a function. Pierre de Fermat was one of the first mathematicians to propose a general technique, adequality, for finding the maxima and minima of functions. As defined in set theory, the maximum and minimum of a set (mathematics), set are the greatest and least elements in the set, respectively. Unbounded infinite sets, such as the set of real numbers, have no minimum or maximum. In statistics, the corresponding concept is the sample maximum and minimum. Definition A real-valued Function (mathematics), function ''f'' defined on a Domain of a function, domain ''X'' has a global (or absolute) m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Function (mathematics)
In mathematics, a function from a set (mathematics), set to a set assigns to each element of exactly one element of .; the words ''map'', ''mapping'', ''transformation'', ''correspondence'', and ''operator'' are sometimes used synonymously. The set is called the Domain of a function, domain of the function and the set is called the codomain of the function. Functions were originally the idealization of how a varying quantity depends on another quantity. For example, the position of a planet is a ''function'' of time. History of the function concept, Historically, the concept was elaborated with the infinitesimal calculus at the end of the 17th century, and, until the 19th century, the functions that were considered were differentiable function, differentiable (that is, they had a high degree of regularity). The concept of a function was formalized at the end of the 19th century in terms of set theory, and this greatly increased the possible applications of the concept. A f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
