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An experiment with the Boyer-Moore theorem prover: A proof of Wilson's theorem

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Abstract

This paper describes the use of the Boyer-Moore theorem prover in mechanically generating a proof of Wilson's theorem: for any prime p, (p-1)! and p-1 are congruent modulo p. The input to the theorem prover consists of a sequence of three function definitions and forty-two propositions to be proved. The proofs generated by the system are based on a library of lemmas relating to list manipulation and number theory, including Fermat's theorem.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Artificial Intelligence Program, Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, 9430 Research Boulevard, 78759, Austin, TX, USA

    David M. Russinoff

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  1. David M. Russinoff
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Russinoff, D.M. An experiment with the Boyer-Moore theorem prover: A proof of Wilson's theorem. J Autom Reasoning 1, 121–139 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00244993

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00244993

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