Beginners' Quest to Formalize Mathematics: A Feasibility Study in Isabelle
Logic in Computer Science
2021-06-24 v1
Abstract
How difficult are interactive theorem provers to use? We respond by reviewing the formalization of Hilbert's tenth problem in Isabelle/HOL carried out by an undergraduate research group at Jacobs University Bremen. We argue that, as demonstrated by our example, proof assistants are feasible for beginners to formalize mathematics. With the aim to make the field more accessible, we also survey hurdles that arise when learning an interactive theorem prover. Broadly, we advocate for an increased adoption of interactive theorem provers in mathematical research and curricula.
Keywords
Cite
@article{arxiv.2106.12351,
title = {Beginners' Quest to Formalize Mathematics: A Feasibility Study in Isabelle},
author = {Jonas Bayer and Marco David and Abhik Pal and Benedikt Stock},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.12351},
year = {2021}
}
Comments
11 pages, 1 figure; Published as a conference paper at CICM 2019