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Proof by induction - A very important and powerful mathematical tool,
because it works by assuming something is true and then goes on to
prove that therefore it is true. Not surprisingly, you can prove almost
everything by induction. So long as the proof includes the following
phrases:
a) Assume true for n; then also true for n+1 because.. (followed by
some plausible but messy working out in which n, n+1 appear prominently).
b) But is true for n=0 (a little more messy working out with lots of
zeros sprayed at random through the proof).
c) So is true for all n. Q.E.D.
-- R. Ainsley in Bluff your way in Maths, 1988
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