What is wrong with the following \"proof\" showing all horses are the same color
ID: 3401391 • Letter: W
Question
What is wrong with the following "proof" showing all horses are the same color: Induct on the number of horses, n. If n = 1, there is clearly only one color. Suppose now any collection of n horses has one color and look at a group of n + 1 horses, {h_1,, h_n + 1}. Then the two collections {h_1,, h_n} and {h_2,, h_n + 1} both have n horses each and so the induction hypothesis shows each set of horses has only one color. Since the two sets of horses overlap, there is only one color among all the horses. Thus all horses have the same color.Explanation / Answer
Since the (n+1)th horse may or may not have the color which the other n horses has.
So the group {h1,....,hn} and {h2,....,hn+1} can not follow the induction hypothesis
Hence the proof is not valid
Related Questions
Hire Me For All Your Tutoring Needs
Integrity-first tutoring: clear explanations, guidance, and feedback.
Drop an Email at
drjack9650@gmail.com
drjack9650@gmail.com
Navigate
Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.