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#1 2015-02-16 05:14:44
- PatternMan
- Member
- Registered: 2014-03-08
- Posts: 199
What distinguishes a rule from a theorem?
Rules like these are deduced from axioms of algebra. (-a)(-b) = ab People write proofs for them. However little facts like these are just called rules. People don't even mention them in mathematical notation when teaching. They just say two negatives next to each other make a plus and two positives make a plus. Why are these statements just called rules whereas something like the the binomial theorem is called a theorem?
"School conditions you to reject your own judgement and experiences. The facts are in the textbook. Memorize and follow the rules. What they don't tell you is the people that discovered the facts and wrote the textbooks are people like you and me."
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