Conjecture

Definition of Conjecture

• Conjecture is a statement that is believed to be true but not yet proved.

                                                  

Examples of Conjecture

• The statement "Sum of the measures of the interior angles in any triangle is 180°" is a conjecture.
• The statement "If two parallel lines are cut by a transversal, the corresponding angles are congruent."

Solved Example on Conjecture

Sam proposed that '3n + 1 yields a prime number for any even number, n.' and called it a conjecture.

He explained his conjecture using the numbers 2, 4, and 6. He got 7, 13, and 19.

Is his proposition a conjecture?

Choices:

A. Yes

B. No

Correct Answer: B

Solution:

Step 1: A conjecture is a statement that is believed to be true but not yet proved or disproved.

Step 2: Sam's proposition is not a conjecture, because for n = 8, 3n + 1 gives 25, which is not a prime number.

Related Terms for Conjecture

• Statement
• Inductive Reasoning
• Proof

Additional Links for Conjecture

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