Experimental Mathematics.
The rise of the field of “experimental mathematics” poses an apparent challenge to traditional philosophical accounts of mathematics as an a priori, non-empirical endeavor. This paper surveys different attempts to characterize experimental mathematics. One suggestion is that experimental mathematics...
| Publicado en: | Erkenntnis Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 331 - 345 |
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| Autor principal: | |
| Formato: | Artículo |
| Publicado: |
Springer Nature
May2008
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | Ver este registro en EBSCOhost |
| Sumario: | The rise of the field of “experimental mathematics” poses an apparent challenge to traditional philosophical accounts of mathematics as an a priori, non-empirical endeavor. This paper surveys different attempts to characterize experimental mathematics. One suggestion is that experimental mathematics makes essential use of electronic computers. A second suggestion is that experimental mathematics involves support being gathered for an hypothesis which is inductive rather than deductive. Each of these options turns out to be inadequate, and instead a third suggestion is considered according to which experimental mathematics involves calculating instances of some general hypothesis. The paper concludes with the examination of some philosophical implications of this characterization. |
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