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mathematical induction

form of mathematical proof
Thing proof_technique Q178377
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Summary

mathematical induction is a proof technique[1]. It draws 7,389 Wikipedia views per month (proof technique category, ranking #1 of 7).[2]

Key Facts

  • Discoverer or inventor: Francesco Maurolico[3], Euclid[4], Bhāskara II[5], Jacob Bernoulli[6], Blaise Pascal[7], Pierre de Fermat[8], Plato[9]
  • Subclass of: well-founded induction[10]
  • Part of: Q114737629[11]
  • Commons category: Induction (mathematics)[12]
  • Said to be the same as: mathematical induction[13]
  • Has part(s): base case[14], inductive step[15], induction hypothesis[16]
  • Has cause: principle of mathematical induction[17]
  • Topic's main category: Category:Mathematical induction[18]
  • Described by source: The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 1: Fundamental Algorithms, 3rd edition[19], Otto's encyclopedia[20], Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1926–1947)[21], Mathwords[22]
  • Different from: inductive reasoning[23], magnetic flux density[24]
  • On focus list of Wikimedia project: Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4[25]
  • Maintained by WikiProject: WikiProject Mathematics[26]

Why It Matters

mathematical induction has Wikipedia articles in 29 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[27] It is known by 90 alternative names across languages and contexts.[28]

Related Entities

Bhaskara II Blaise Pascal Euclid Jacob Bernoulli Pierre de Fermat Plato

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [3] ↑ . Fermat's method of Infinite Descent. wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . Origin of the Name "Mathematical Induction". wikidata.org.
  3. [5] ↑ . Origin of the Name "Mathematical Induction". wikidata.org.
  4. [6] ↑ . Origin of the Name "Mathematical Induction". wikidata.org.
  5. [7] ↑ . Origin of the Name "Mathematical Induction". wikidata.org.
  6. [8] ↑ . Origin of the Name "Mathematical Induction". wikidata.org.
  7. [9] ↑ . Plato: Parmenides 149a7-c3. A Proof by Complete Induction?. wikidata.org.
  8. [10] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [11] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [12] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [13] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [14] ↑ . Insiemi, numeri e polinomi. encyclopediaofmath.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  13. [15] ↑ . Insiemi, numeri e polinomi. encyclopediaofmath.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  14. [16] ↑ . Insiemi, numeri e polinomi. encyclopediaofmath.org. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  15. [17] ↑ . Insiemi, numeri e polinomi. wikidata.org.
  16. [18] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [20] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  19. [21] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  21. [23] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  22. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [25] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  24. [26] ↑ . wikidata.org.

Class ancestry

  1. [1] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org.

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [2] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [27] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [28] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 4d ago · 沈澄心 · 2026-10-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source → The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 1: Fundamental Algorithms, 3rd edition, Otto's encyclopedia, Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1926–1947) +1
    Fast id → 970742
    Sitelink count → 75
    Wikipedia languages → ['ar', 'ast', 'az', 'ba', 'be', 'bg', 'bn', 'ca', 'ckb', 'cs', 'cv', 'cy', 'da',
    + 1 other property edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Fast id: 970742"
  2. 4w ago · AddyLockPool · 2026-09-14 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Mathworld id → Induction, MathematicalInduction
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Mathworld id: MathematicalInduction"
  3. 20w ago · Twofivesixbot bot · 2026-05-24 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Instance of → proof technique
    Part of → Q114737629
    Maintained by wikiproject → WikiProject Mathematics
    On focus list of wikimedia project → Wikipedia:Vital articles/Level/4
    + 14 other properties edited (see Wikidata diff for full list)
    "/* wbsetclaim-update-qualifiers:1||1|2 */ National library of israel j9u id: 987007548367405171, mv to monolingual text names on J9U statements"
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