Universität Wien

250076 VO Proof Principles (2025W)

3.00 ECTS (2.00 SWS), SPL 25 - Mathematik
Moodle

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Details

Language: English

Examination dates

Lecturers

Classes (iCal) - next class is marked with N

  • Monday 06.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 13.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 20.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 27.10. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 03.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 10.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 17.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 24.11. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 01.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 15.12. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 12.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 19.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock
  • Monday 26.01. 16:45 - 18:15 Hörsaal 11 Oskar-Morgenstern-Platz 1 2.Stock

Information

Aims, contents and method of the course

This one semester course is not centered around one mathematical topic or field but rather takes a meta-mathematical
viewpoint. Its goal is to elaborate general “methods of proving & principles of reasoning” which appear, often in
quite different disguises, throughout mathematics in various and also remote contexts.
Each class of the course presents one such principle, and illustrates its use and impact in various concrete situations.
Guest lecturers with special expertise shall step in from time to time to present their own preferred proof method
and to enrich the panorama.

Here is a list of possible topics (one per session):

Induction - Proofs by contradiction - Universal properties - Normal forms - Probabilistic method - Wlog proofs - Approximation techniques - Symmetry arguments - Elimination of quantifiers - Compactness - Fix point proofs - Reduction modulo primes - Persistence of numbers - Generating functions - Commutative diagrams - Functors and categories - Counting techniques.

The following colleagues have agreed to contribute a "Guest lecture"

Matthias Aschenbrenner

Mathias Beiglböck

Radu Bot

Adrian Constantin

Harald Grobner

For questions, please contact herwig.hauser@univie.ac.at. It is advised to register for the course.

Assessment and permitted materials

Upcoming.

Minimum requirements and assessment criteria

Examination topics

Reading list

Association in the course directory

MFE; ML2; MEL

Last modified: Fr 20.03.2026 11:47