How to write a solution
Posted: Thu Jul 21, 2011 8:20 pm
Writing good solutions requires skills. Your solution is meaningless if you are the only one who understands it. The point of writing a solution is to let other people read it and understand why your solution works. If you want to improve your proof-writing skills, there is no better way than to practice. One way to do it is to write your solutions neatly and post them as you solve problems in this forum.
Some things to bear in mind while writing up your solution:
1. There can be no logical gaps: every step has to be justified.
2. There is no such thing as obvious/trivial. Try to avoid these words as much as possible.
3. Try to arrange the different steps of your solution in a sequential manner so that it is clear which step comes after which.
4. Label Lemmas/Theorems/Propositions/Claims. This is a good way of making a solution look less messy.
5. Discuss different cases separately and clearly.
6. Do write some words. A solution isn't just a combination of numbers and symbols.
7. Don't write useless/unnecessary things. This can confuse the reader and she might get angry at you!
I will keep adding new ideas if something pops up in my mind.
Some things to bear in mind while writing up your solution:
1. There can be no logical gaps: every step has to be justified.
2. There is no such thing as obvious/trivial. Try to avoid these words as much as possible.
3. Try to arrange the different steps of your solution in a sequential manner so that it is clear which step comes after which.
4. Label Lemmas/Theorems/Propositions/Claims. This is a good way of making a solution look less messy.
5. Discuss different cases separately and clearly.
6. Do write some words. A solution isn't just a combination of numbers and symbols.
7. Don't write useless/unnecessary things. This can confuse the reader and she might get angry at you!
I will keep adding new ideas if something pops up in my mind.