Uploaded January 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Math Encounters: "You Want Proof? I'll Give You Proof! Mathematical Arguments from Euclid to Lean" featuring Jeremy Avigad
Wednesday, November 6
Although proof has been central to mathematics from ancient times, our understanding of what a proof is has evolved through the years. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton proved things about infinitely small quantities; two hundred years later, Georg Cantor proved things about quantities that are infinitely large. Some proofs rely on calculations that are too long to carry out by hand; some collaborative proofs are too large to be understood by any one person; and now, we can even write proofs that a computer — or AI — can understand and evaluate. Join Jeremy Avigad, Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, as you experiment with contemporary proof-checking technology and explore recent developments that challenge our understanding of mathematical proof.
Special introduction by Alex Kontorovich, Professor of Mathematics, Rutgers University.
Math Encounters is MoMath’s popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics. This program is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.
Math Encounters: "You Want Proof? I'll Give You Proof! Mathematical Arguments from Euclid to Lean" featuring Jeremy Avigad
Wednesday, November 6
Although proof has been central to mathematics from ancient times, our understanding of what a proof is has evolved through the years. In the seventeenth century, Isaac Newton proved things about infinitely small quantities; two hundred years later, Georg Cantor proved things about quantities that are infinitely large. Some proofs rely on calculations that are too long to carry out by hand; some collaborative proofs are too large to be understood by any one person; and now, we can even write proofs that a computer — or AI — can understand and evaluate. Join Jeremy Avigad, Professor of Philosophy and Professor of Mathematical Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University, as you experiment with contemporary proof-checking technology and explore recent developments that challenge our understanding of mathematical proof.
Special introduction by Alex Kontorovich, Professor of Mathematics, Rutgers University.
Math Encounters is MoMath’s popular free public presentation series celebrating the spectacular world of mathematics. This program is funded by Simons Foundation International and administered by the Simons Foundation’s Science, Society & Culture division.
