Let's Say: A Child's First Calculus




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summary of identities , for the venturesome

Topic 3.     The Pancake Algebra

 
3.1       Exercises Motivating our First Algebraic Conjecture
3.2       Bo---ring. Isn't there a Shortcut?
3.3       Proof of Tromp
3.4       Proof of Exile/Isle of Silence
3.5       A Proven Consequence Says More
3.6       What Algebra is All About
3.7       Counting Cattle
3.8       Zero-th Law of Algebra
3.9       Algebraic Consequence of Extra Vizzo Good Luck and the Zero-th Law
3.10     Algebraic Consequence of the Pancake Operator
3.11     Another Way to Prove Algebra: The Bridge Theorem
3.12     Proof of Red Herring and School
3.13     Proof of Infect/Outfect by the Bridge Theorem
3.14     Proof of Deep Infect/Outfect by the Bridge Theorem



3.1   Exercises to Motivate First Algebraic Conjecture

Both for the sake of familiarity with the arithmetic and to get us into an algebraic issue, here are some pancake expressions for you to evaluate.

A justification will be noted for each step.



If you can, make the window wide enough to put this sentence on a single line.

3.1.1         _____   __  ___
              ______   _______
      __   _______________ ,     a given expression in side-view

      ( )   (((       ))  ((   ) (   ))) ,     same expr in standard pancake

=                                 ___  ___
                                  _______
          __  ________________

          ( )  (               ((  )  (  ))) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell

=                                       ___
                                  ______
            __  ______________

            ( ) (             (     ( ))) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell

=
            __  ______________

            ( ) (                         ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell

=
            __

            ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell
            simple vizzo.


3.1.2   __  __  __
          ________   __
          ____________  __  __ ,     a given expression in side-view

          ((( ) ( ) ( ))  (  ))  ( )  ( ) ,     same expr in standard pancake

=
            __
          ________   __
          ____________  __  __

          ((( )         )  ( ))  ( )  ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell twice

=
          __
          ______   __
          __________  __

          ((( )     )  ( ))  ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell

=
                            __
          ____________  __

          (               (   ))  ( ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell

=
                      __

                    ( ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell ; simple vizzo.


3.1.3
            __
          ___                             __
          ____  __             ___  ___
          ________   __   ________ ,     a given expression, side-view

          (((( ))) ( ))   ( )  ((   )  ((  ))) ,     same expr in standard pancake

=
          ____  __           ___
          ________  __  ________

          ((     )  ( ))  ( )  ((   )       ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell 2 times

=
          ____ __
        ________  __

          ((   ( ) )   )  ( ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell

=
          ____
        ________  __

          ((     )   )  ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell

=

                          __

                          ( )   ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell ; simple vizzo.


3.1.4
                          __
                        ___             __   __
                ___  ____           ___  ___   ___
      __   _________   __   _____________ ,     given expression, side-view

      ( )   ((     ) (((  )))   ( )   (((  )) (( ))  ( )) ,     same expression, standard

=
              ___  ___                           ___
      __   ________   __   _____________

      ( )   ((   ) (   ))   ( )   (                   ( )) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" 3 times

=
              ___  ___
      __   ________   __

      ( )   ((   ) (   ))   ( ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell

=
                      ___
      __   ________   __

      ( )   (       (   ))   ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell

=
      __   __

      ( )    ( ) ,     SSglax "Revoco!" spell

=
          __

            ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell ; simple vizzo.




3.2     Bo---ring. Isn't there a Shortcut?

These evaluations should have become boring by now. They all came out simple vizzo, for one thing. Why?

Maybe we can use this observation to discover a shortcut. Maybe you have noticed what is causing them all to evaluate to simple vizzo.

Let's look at these given expressions to see what we might notice that they have in common:

3.1.1             ( )  (((       )) ((   ) (  )))     =   ( )

3.1.2           ((( )  ( )  ( )) (  ))  ( )  ( )       =   ( )

3.1.3           (((( )))  ( ))  ( )  ((   )  ((   )))       =   ( )

3.1.4       ( )   ((     ) (((  )))   ( )   (((  )) (( )) ( ))     =   ( )

Look, in each example, at the unrepresented plaza. Do you notice that in every one of the four examples there is at least one empty pancake --one vizzo-- directly on the unrepresented plaza?

Is that the reason these examples all come out vizzo?   If you say yes, you have discovered a powerful shortcut. As soon as you spot an empty pancake you know you can eliminate everything else on that plaza from consideration.

Can you prove this shortcut always works?

3.3     Proof of Tromp

To begin, let's set up the conjecture formally. This means, put just what we are interested in proving into precise language for methodical, organized testing which will be easy to review afterwards, using symbolic names (single letters, usually) to represent expressions or parts of expressions:

Let   p  represent any pancake expression.  We seek to prove whether
        p ( ) = ( )
in all cases (that is, in general).

This is our algebraic conjecture. Let's be bold and give it a name before we prove it.

In naming this conjecture, we might note that the vizzo seems to trump or tromp on any value that might turn out from p.   So I have named it trump for the summary of pancake identities.

Now we seek to prove whether
        p ( ) = ( ).

Well, how many cases are there of  evaluating the subexpression  p?  Just two, so it's not difficult to check all cases. Start by supposing  p  takes the value           , simple invizzo:

Case:       p  =

In this case, substituting  invizzo  for  p  in the proposed     p ( ) = ( ) ,
we get
        ( )   =   ( ) ,     substituting case p=    .

The proposed consequence holds in case p=    .

As another case, suppose  p  takes the value ( ), simple vizzo:

Case:       p  =  ( )

In this case, substitute the value vizzo for  p  in the proposed     p ( ) = ( ) ,
and we get
        ( )  ( )   =   ( ) ,   substituting p=( ).

The Lhs (left-hand side) readily evaluates to vizzo:

      ( )   =  ( ) ,     EVglax "Revoco!" spell

The proposed consequence holds also in case p=( ).

There are no other cases, so we say that since the Lhs evaluates to simple vizzo in all cases, the trump shortcut works:

p  ( )  =  ( )

trump     []



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