I'm working on an exam, and have a solid proof for one of the problems, but it's reliant on a number of theorems left exercises in the textbook which were not assigned as coursework. What, if any convention is there for using those results in later proofs?
What is the convention for using results of theorems left as exercise in the text?
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soft-question
proof-writing
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10This would be a good question to ask your instructor. – 2011-12-16
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0I already have, waiting on a reply. I was just curious to see if there was some established rule here. – 2011-12-16
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5Since you basically ask for an opinion, here's mine: I'd expect to see evidence that the exercises were actually solved by you. That is: at least an outline of the solution if not a full proof, or a reference to a different text where proofs are given. – 2011-12-16
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2A long time ago, I took a take-home exam (in a graduate course) in which one question was of the form "Prove or disprove: A". One of my fellow students turned in an answer which said "Problem x.yz of our textbook asks us to prove or disprove B. Assuming B is true, the following is a proof that A is true. ..... Assuming B is false, the following is a proof that A is false." He got extra credit (and an A+ grade) for creativity. – 2011-12-16
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0you should probably prove it, and since you asked your instructor, s/he probably assumes you havent proven it (else you would have just included a proof) and s/he will make you prove it. – 2011-12-16