No mathematician today

This topic has expert replies
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 435
Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 3:55 am
Thanked: 17 times

No mathematician today

by madhur_ahuja » Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:16 am
No mathematician today would flatly refuse to accept the results of an enormous computation as an adequate demonstration of the truth of a theorem. In 1976, however, this was not the case. Some mathematicians at that time refused to accept the results of a complex computer demonstration of a very simple mapping theorem. Although some mathematicians still hold a strong belief that a simple theorem ought to have a short, simple proof, in fact, some simple theorems have required enormous proofs.

If all of the statements in the passage are true, which one of the following must also be true?

(A) Today, some mathematicians who believe that a simple theorem ought to have a simple proof would consider accepting the results of an enormous computation as a demonstration of the truth of a theorem.
(B) Some individuals who believe that a simple theorem ought to have a simple proof are not mathematicians.
(C) Today, some individuals who refuse to accept the results of an enormous computation as a demonstration of the truth of a theorem believe that a simple theorem ought to have a simple proof.
(D) Some individuals who do not believe that a simple theorem ought to have a simple proof would not be willing to accept the results of an enormous computation as proof of a complex theorem.
(E) Some nonmathematicians do not believe that a simple theorem ought to have a simple proof.
Source: — Critical Reasoning |

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 160
Joined: Tue Jul 07, 2009 1:09 pm
Thanked: 1 times
Followed by:1 members

by Sharma_Gaurav » Wed Jul 08, 2009 6:42 am
answer = A

BC and E not support by passage.

D - not relevant to the argument.

only A is true given the info in the passage.

User avatar
Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 472
Joined: Sun Mar 29, 2009 6:54 pm
Thanked: 56 times

by ssmiles08 » Wed Jul 08, 2009 11:51 am
IMO A too.

A is the only one which can be fact checked by the stimulus.

Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts
Posts: 6
Joined: Thu Jul 02, 2009 8:44 pm
Thanked: 1 times

by plumed » Wed Jul 08, 2009 7:27 pm
IMO A.

Can you post OA in spoiler code.

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 435
Joined: Sat May 02, 2009 3:55 am
Thanked: 17 times

by madhur_ahuja » Wed Jul 08, 2009 8:06 pm
OA is A

Legendary Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Fri Feb 20, 2009 2:57 pm
Thanked: 15 times
Followed by:1 members
GMAT Score:690

by crackgmat007 » Thu Jul 09, 2009 6:33 pm
Use POE, all answer choices except A talk about individuals, but the stimulus talks about mathematicians.

Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts
Posts: 200
Joined: Sat Aug 22, 2015 10:27 am

by james33 » Sun May 15, 2016 8:27 pm
My intuition whispers that it is A.