Questions tagged [soft-question]

For questions whose answers can't be objectively evaluated as correct or incorrect, but which are still relevant to this site. Please be specific about what you are after.

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2 votes
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Formalization of Analytic Number Theory

Is there any formalization, in any proof checking environment (Lean, Isabelle, etc.) of basic analytic number theory, say everything in a book like the Titchmarsh book (The Theory of the Riemann Zeta ...
  • 121
4 votes
1 answer
257 views

Why is it hard to formalize informal proofs?

Say I have some informal but rigorous argument in line with eg real analysis. Currently, it is a massive PITA to do algebraic manipulations in proof assistants like Coq or Isabelle. However, in ...
14 votes
3 answers
220 views

Counterexamples in Type Theory

The title pretty much covers it. I'm wondering if someone is maintaining a list of counterexamples in type theory. I'm aware of Counterexamples in Type Systems, which I think is very nice, but I guess ...
  • 328
8 votes
2 answers
185 views

Figures on computer proof assistant usage

I'm interested in figures on computer proof assistant usage. To put this in perspective, I have a server which I am making at the moment, and I only feel like committing time to setting up four or ...
3 votes
1 answer
203 views

How can you represent a dependent type visually?

So, obviously for a term $t$ of type $T$, I would represent it as: T +-----------+ | | | t | | | +-----------+ That is a node ...
4 votes
2 answers
130 views

Pragmatic encodings of inductive inductive types

What's the most pragmatic encoding for inductive-inductive types such as for a universe of types? In pseudo Coq syntax. ...
1 vote
1 answer
167 views

How does Lean4 (or a typical PA) represent lambda functions or in other words arbitrary expressions?

Question: Say I wanted my language to support various operator symbols, the semantics of which are defined by the user or by axioms. I'm wondering whether Lean4 (or a typical well-known PA) just ...
-3 votes
1 answer
137 views

Could we speed up ATP or ATD using a directed graph that appears to work like a gigantic brain?

So I'm not sure how things are done in Lean4 or Coq, but I'm interested in their search features. For example, "Search for all theorems that get satisfied given a user-defined list of ...
17 votes
2 answers
376 views

What are the advantages to impredicativity?

Mostly when I read about impredicativity I see people bemoaning its downsides. But it's not clear to me why I would want impredicativity in the first place. Impredicativity is useful for analyzing ...
11 votes
1 answer
188 views

Naming conventions (letter case, underscores, &c) for Coq

Does Coq have an established convention/style for constructors, variables, terms, &c? An established convention that isn't exceptionless is totally fine. For example, terms should be lowercase ...
  • 2,651
15 votes
1 answer
294 views

Why should you "never resort to polymorphism when initiality would do"?

In the concluding statement of "universe hierarchies", Conor McBride calls it [...] that key lesson which I learned from James McKinna: never resort to polymorphism when initiality will do. ...
9 votes
2 answers
331 views

Which proof assistant would you advise me to learn (in 2022) considering my interests?

I am a math teacher in college. I’m very interested in type theory. So far, I got the general idea of it but I would like to go deeper. I am interested in philosophy of maths, in foundations of maths, ...
  • 191