Lemma (mathematics)

In mathematics, informal logic and argument mapping, a lemma (: lemmas or lemmata) is a generally minor, proven proposition which is used as a stepping stone to a larger result. For that reason, it is also known as a "helping theorem" or an "auxiliary theorem". In many cases, a lemma derives its importance from the theorem it aims to prove; however, a lemma can also turn out to be more important than originally thought. From the Ancient Greek λῆμμα, (perfect passive εἴλημμαι) something received or taken. Thus something taken for granted in an argument. There is no formal distinction between a lemma and a theorem, only one of intention (see Theorem terminology). However, a lemma can be considered a minor result whose sole purpose is to help prove a more substantial theorem – a step in the direction of proof. Some powerful results in mathematics are known as lemmas, first named for their originally minor purpose. These include, among others: Bézout's lemma Burnside's lemma Dehn's lemma Euclid's lemma Farkas' lemma Fatou's lemma Gauss's lemma (any of several named after Carl Friedrich Gauss) Greendlinger's lemma Itô's lemma Jordan's lemma Nakayama's lemma Poincaré's lemma Riesz's lemma Schur's lemma Schwarz's lemma Sperner's lemma Urysohn's lemma Vitali covering lemma Yoneda's lemma Zorn's lemma While these results originally seemed too simple or too technical to warrant independent interest, they have eventually turned out to be central to the theories in which they occur.

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Lemma (mathematics)

Mathematics

Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics with the major subdisciplines of number theory, algebra, geometry, and analysis, respectively. There is no general consensus among mathematicians about a common definition for their academic discipline. Most mathematical activity involves the discovery of properties of abstract objects and the use of pure reason to prove them.

Theorem

In mathematics, a theorem is a statement that has been proved, or can be proved. The proof of a theorem is a logical argument that uses the inference rules of a deductive system to establish that the theorem is a logical consequence of the axioms and previously proved theorems. In mainstream mathematics, the axioms and the inference rules are commonly left implicit, and, in this case, they are almost always those of Zermelo–Fraenkel set theory with the axiom of choice (ZFC), or of a less powerful theory, such as Peano arithmetic.

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