Marshall University Math Colloquium
March 10, 2014
Dr. Jeffry Hirst
Appalachian State University
Abstract
How can we tell if two theorems are essentially the same? If we can prove that they are equivalent, then they are in some sense interchangeable. If our equivalence proof relies on a particularly small set of assumptions, then our claim of similarity is even stronger. This is the fundamental motivation of reverse mathematics, a program in the foundations of mathematics initiated by Harvey Friedman and Stephen Simpson. This talk will illustrate some results and techniques of the program.