Xref: utzoo sci.math:14755 comp.misc:11204 Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!usc!samsung!think.com!linus!linus!news From: bs@gauss.mitre.org (Robert D. Silverman) Newsgroups: sci.math,comp.misc Subject: Early Computer Assisted Proofs? Message-ID: <1991Jan23.133520.22170@linus.mitre.org> Date: 23 Jan 91 13:35:20 GMT Sender: news@linus.mitre.org (Linus's News) Organization: The MITRE Corporation, Bedford MA 10730 Lines: 25 Nntp-Posting-Host: gauss.mitre.org I am seeking some historical information. What is the earliest know example where the use of a computer was essential in a mathematical proof or disproof of a previous conjecture. Or, alternately, what is the earliest known case where a mathematical relationship was discovered by computer (perhaps numerically) then verified afterward? I already have an instance that dates to 1953, so anything suggested should be earlier than that. I'm not talking about automated theorem provers. I would also be interested in knowing when the term "Computer Proof" or "Computer Assisted Proof" or similar phrase first appeared in the title of a paper. I have an example from Mathematics of Computation in 1962. Are there any earlier ones? -- Bob Silverman #include Mitre Corporation, Bedford, MA 01730 "You can lead a horse's ass to knowledge, but you can't make him think"