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Why Isn't the Intermediate Value Theorem Constructive?

1 pointsby TheAsprngHackerover 5 years ago

1 comment

TheAsprngHackerover 5 years ago
ELI5:<p>Constructive math is a philosophy of math where you must <i>construct</i> a value to proof its existence. The Intermediate Value Theorem states that if f(a) &lt; 0 and f(b) &gt; 0, then there exists a number c in the interval (a, b) where f(c) = 0. For the IVT to be constructive, you must be able to find c. (Technically, the theorem is Bolzano&#x27;s theorem, not the IVT.)<p>The question asks why the Intermediate Value Theorem isn&#x27;t constructive. The question provides a &quot;binary search&quot; for c.<p>The answer states that the proof doesn&#x27;t work because checking whether a real number is 0 is undecidable. A real number is represented by an infinite sequence, and you can&#x27;t tell if the sequence converges to 0.