Inspired by Italo Calvino’s (almost) homonymous writing, this short essay suggests a formal perspective to complement the typical categorisation of classical results in mathematics on aesthetic bases. The traditional proof that √2 is not a rational number provides a simple example of proof mining. When studied through the tools of logic, that proof has also led to designing new systems for formal proving based on cyclic proofs. This example thus supports the central thesis of this essay that reading the classics of mathematical proofs enables us to acquire a taste for mathematical beauty and can open new directions in mathematics as well.
Why read the classics (of mathematical proofs)? / Perini Brogi, Cosimo. - In: JOURNAL OF HUMANISTIC MATHEMATICS. - ISSN 2159-8118. - 16:1(2026), pp. 251-260.
Why read the classics (of mathematical proofs)?
Cosimo Perini Brogi
2026
Abstract
Inspired by Italo Calvino’s (almost) homonymous writing, this short essay suggests a formal perspective to complement the typical categorisation of classical results in mathematics on aesthetic bases. The traditional proof that √2 is not a rational number provides a simple example of proof mining. When studied through the tools of logic, that proof has also led to designing new systems for formal proving based on cyclic proofs. This example thus supports the central thesis of this essay that reading the classics of mathematical proofs enables us to acquire a taste for mathematical beauty and can open new directions in mathematics as well.| File | Dimensione | Formato | |
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