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Mathematics LibreTexts

2: Induction and Recursion

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If you are unfamiliar with the Principle of Mathematical Induction, you should read Appendix B. The principle of mathematical induction states that In order to prove a statement about an integer \(n\), if we can 1. Prove the statement when n = b, for some fixed integer b, and 2. Show that the truth of the statement for \(n = k − 1\) implies the truth of the statement for \(n = k\) whenever \(k > b\), then we can conclude the statement is true for all integers \(n ≥ b.\)

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