PROCEEDINGS OF THE 22ND ANNUAL CONFERENCE ON RESEARCH IN UNDERGRADUATE MATHEMATICS EDUCATION
2019
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
What is difficult about proof by contradiction?
Page: 1005
Although students face many challenges in learning to construct mathematical proofs in general, proof by contradiction is believed to be particularly difficult for them. We investigate whether this is true, and what factors might explain it, using data from an “Introduction to Proof” course. We examined proofs constructed by students in homework and examinations, and conducted stimulated-recall interviews with some students about their thought processes while solving proof problems. Preliminary analysis of our data suggests that students’ background knowledge about the typical content domains that appear in indirect proof plays a larger role than the logical structure of the proof technique itself.