Reasoning, convincing and proving

Professor Korner has generously supported school mathematics for more than 30 years and has been a good friend to NRICH since it started.

A serious but easily readable discussion of proof in mathematics with some amusing stories and some interesting examples.

Proof does have a place in Primary mathematics classrooms, we just need to be clear about what we mean by proof at this level.

This article discusses how every Pythagorean triple (a, b, c) can be illustrated by a square and an L shape within another square. You are invited to find some triples for yourself.

This follows up the 'magic Squares for Special Occasions' article which tells you you to create a 4by4 magicsquare with a special date on the top line using no negative numbers and no repeats.

An introduction to proof by contradiction, a powerful method of mathematical proof.

Beautiful mathematics. Two 18 year old students gave eight different proofs of one result then generalised it from the 3 by 1 case to the n by 1 case and proved the general result.

Freddie Manners, of Packwood Haugh School in Shropshire solved an alphanumeric without using the extra information supplied and this article explains his reasoning.

The tangles created by the twists and turns of the Conway rope trick are surprisingly symmetrical. Here's why!

An article which gives an account of some properties of magic squares.