Is there a direct geometric proof of the Steiner-Lehmus theorem? (Q2154135)
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English | Is there a direct geometric proof of the Steiner-Lehmus theorem? |
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Is there a direct geometric proof of the Steiner-Lehmus theorem? (English)
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14 July 2022
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The author has written a lovely tribute to late John Conway (1937--2020) [\textit{O. A. S. Karamzadeh}, Math. Intell. 43, No. 2, 76--78 (2021; Zbl 1490.01053)]. In the article, Conway's interest in the classical question whether there is a direct proof of the Steiner-Lehmus theorem is discussed. In the article under review, which is actually a response to criticising comments concerning that article, the author gets to the point: ``if we insisted on complete directness for the proof of every basic theorem, then we would have to rewrite almost the whole of mathematics''. Indeed, for me -- and I believe for most mathematicians -- short, indirect proofs are preferable to long and cumbersome formal direct proofs.
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Steiner-Lehmus theorem
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direct proof
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formal proof
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indirect proof
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