User:Prime.mover/Proof Structures/Proof by Mathematical Induction

Proof by Mathematical Induction
The proof proceeds by induction.

For all $n \in \Z_{\ge 0}$, let $\map P n$ be the proposition:
 * $proposition_n$

$\map P 0$ is the case:
 * $proposition_0$

Thus $\map P 0$ is seen to hold.

Basis for the Induction
$\map P 1$ is the case:
 * $proposition_1$

Thus $\map P 1$ is seen to hold.

This is the basis for the induction.

Induction Hypothesis
Now it needs to be shown that, if $\map P k$ is true, where $k \ge 1$, then it logically follows that $\map P {k + 1}$ is true.

So this is the induction hypothesis:
 * $proposition_k$

from which it is to be shown that:
 * $proposition_{k + 1}$

Induction Step
This is the induction step:

So $\map P k \implies \map P {k + 1}$ and the result follows by the Principle of Mathematical Induction.

Therefore:
 * $proposition_n$