table of contents

formal proof

2023-05-25

a formal proof is a finite sequence of premises each of which is an axiom, an assumption, or follows from the preceding statements in the sequence by a rule of inference, which are used to prove arguments.

a proof sequence from to a proposition is one such that is the last proposition in the sequence which we call the conclusion. we write

usually, on the right side of each formula we write a description of how it was derived and from which previous lines in the inference process

correct use of equivalences and implications

use of equivalences can also be done on subformulas

use of logical implications cannot be done on subformulas, only on full rows during the formal proof

an example of incorrect usage: