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<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">Contents of this page</FONT></B>
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<A HREF="#overview">Metamath Proof Explorer Overview</A></LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#proofs">How Metamath Proofs Work</A>
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<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>23-Apr-2006</I></FONT>
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<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Added</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>20-May-2003</I></FONT>
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</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#axioms">The Axioms</A>
<FONT SIZE=-1>(<A HREF="#scaxioms">Propositional Calculus</A>,
<A HREF="#pcaxioms">Predicate Calculus</A>,
<A HREF="#staxioms">Set Theory</A>,
<A HREF="#groth">The Tarski–Grothendieck Axiom</A>)</FONT>
<!--
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised </FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>22-June-2009 (the Tarski–Grothendieck Axiom)</I></FONT>
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</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#class">The Theory of Classes</A>
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Added</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>13-Dec-2015</I></FONT>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#theorems">A Theorem Sampler</A>
<!--
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised</FONT> <FONT
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<LI>
<A HREF="#trivia">2 + 2 = 4 Trivia</A>
<FONT SIZE=-1>(<A HREF="#2p2e4length">more</A>)
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<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Added</FONT> <FONT
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<LI>
<A HREF="#axiomnote">Appendix 1: A Note on the Axioms</A>
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<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised</FONT> <FONT
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</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="#traditional">Appendix 2: Traditional
Textbook Axioms of Predicate Calculus</A>
<!--
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised</FONT> <FONT
SIZE=-1><I>6-Oct-2005</I></FONT>
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</LI>
<LI> <A HREF="#distinct">Appendix 3: Distinct Variables</A>
<FONT SIZE=-1>(<A HREF="#dv-history">History</A>,
<A HREF="#dv-notes">Notes</A>)</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised</FONT> <FONT
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<!--
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</LI>
<LI> <A HREF="#definitions">Appendix 4: A Note on Definitions</A></LI>
<LI> <A HREF="#assume">Appendix 5: How to Find Out What Axioms a Proof
Depends On</A></LI>
<LI> <A HREF="#function">Appendix 6: Notation for Function and Operation
Values</A></LI>
<LI> <A HREF="#subsys">Appendix 7: Some Predicate Calculus
Subsystems</A>
</LI>
<LI> <A HREF="#oldaxioms">Appendix 8: Axiom Numbering
Before December 2018</A>
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<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">Related pages</FONT></B>
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<A HREF="conventions.html">Conventions and Style</A>
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<FONT SIZE=-1><I>15-Jan-2017</I></FONT>
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<A HREF="mmnatded.html">Deduction Form and Natural Deduction</A>
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<A HREF="mmdeduction.html">Weak Deduction Theorem</A> (an older method)
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<A HREF="mmcomplex.html">Real and Complex Numbers</A>
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<A HREF="mmtopstr.html">Algebraic and Topological Structures</A>
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Added</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>24-Nov-2018</I></FONT>
</LI>
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<A HREF="mmfrege.html">Frege Notation</A>
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Added</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>7-Nov-2020</I></FONT>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="mmzfcnd.html">ZFC Axioms With No Distinct Variables</A>
<!--
<FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Revised</FONT>
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>12-Apr-2008</I></FONT>
-->
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="mmascii.html">ASCII Symbol Equivalents for Text-Only Browsers</A>
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Miscellaneous <A HREF="mmnotes.txt">notes</A>
</LI>
<LI>
<A HREF="../index.html#contribute">How can I contribute to Metamath?</A>
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<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">External links</FONT></B>
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<A HREF="https://github.com/metamath/set.mm">GitHub repository</A>
(contains the database as well as help on contributing)
</LI>
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<A HREF="http://math.vanderbilt.edu/~~schectex/ccc/choice.html">
A home page for THE AXIOM OF CHOICE</A>
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you can use <A HREF="http://www.google.com/">Google</A> [retrieved 21-Dec-2016]
restricted to a mirror site. For example, to find references to infinity enter
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<I>My intellect never quite recovered from the strain of writing.</I>
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—Bertrand Russell,
<I>The Autobiography of Bertrand Russell, the Early Years</I>
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<FONT COLOR="#006633"><I>From <A HREF="pm54.43.html">this
proposition</A> it will follow, when arithmetical addition has been
defined, that 1+1=2.</I><BR> —<I>Principia Mathematica</I>, Volume
I, page 360.</FONT>
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David A. Wheeler has prepared an excellent 14-minute YouTube video,
<A HREF="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WH4Rd4UKGE">Metamath Proof Explorer:
A Modern Principia Mathematica</A>, on the history of formalization and the
motivation for Metamath, the proof of 2+2=4, and more.</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
<P>
Inspired by Whitehead and Russell's monumental <I>Principia Mathematica</I>,
<!--(where 1+1=2 is finally proved on page 86 of Volume II), -->
the Metamath Proof Explorer has over 26,000 completely worked out proofs in its
main sections (and over 41,000 counting "mathboxes", which are annexes where
contributors can develop additional topics), starting from the very foundation
that mathematics is built on and eventually arriving at familiar mathematical
facts and beyond.
<!-- in logic and set theory. -->
<!-- , interconnected with over a million hyperlinked cross-references. -->
Each proof is pieced together with razor-sharp precision using a simple
substitution rule that practically anyone (with lots of patience) can follow,
not just mathematicians. Every step can be drilled down deeper and deeper into
the labyrinth until axioms of logic and set theory—the starting point for
all of mathematics—will ultimately be found at the bottom. You could
spend literally days exploring the astonishing tangle of logic leading, say,
from the seemingly mundane theorem <A HREF="#trivia">2+2=4</A> back to these
axioms.
</P>
<P>
Essentially everything that is possible to know in mathematics can be derived
from a handful of axioms known as <I>Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory,</I> which is
the culmination of many years of effort to isolate the essential nature of
mathematics and is one of the most profound achievements of mankind.
</P>
<P>
The Metamath Proof Explorer starts with these axioms to build up its proofs.
There may be symbols that are unfamiliar to you, but we show in detail how they
are manipulated in the proofs, and in principle you don't have to know what
they mean. In fact, there is a philosophy called <I>formalism</I> which says
that mathematics is a game of symbols with no intrinsic meaning. With that in
mind, Metamath lets you watch the game being played and the pieces manipulated
according to simple and precise rules, one step at a time.
<!-- Amazingly, the rules - with which essentially all of mathematics can be
derived - are simpler than those involved in a game of chess! -->
</P>
<P>
As humans, we observe interesting patterns in these "meaningless" symbol
strings as they evolve from the axioms, and we attach meaning to them. One
result is the set of natural numbers, whose properties match those we observe
when we count everyday objects, and their extensions to rational and real
numbers. Of course, numbers were discovered centuries before set theory, and
historically they were "reversed engineered" back to the axioms of set theory.
The proof of <A HREF="#trivia">2 + 2 = 4</A> shows what was involved in that
reverse engineering, representing the work of many mathematicians from Dedekind
to von Neumann. At the other extreme of abstraction is the theory of infinite
sets or transfinite cardinal numbers. Some of the world's most brilliant
mathematicians have given us deep insight into this mysterious and wondrous
universe, which is sometimes called "Cantor's paradise."
</P>
<!--
At the other extreme of abstraction is the theory of infinite sets or
transfinite cardinal numbers, sometimes called "Cantor's paradise." Some of
the world's most brilliant mathematicians have given us deep insight into this
mysterious and wondrous universe that, so far as we know, exists only in the
mind.
-->
<!--
that transcends the physical universe, giving us a glimpse into a higher
reality, perhaps even the mind of God.
-->
<P>
Metamath's formal proofs are much more detailed than the proofs you see in
textbooks. They are broken down into the most explicit detail possible so that
you can see exactly what is going on. Each proof step represents a microscopic
increment towards the final goal. But each step is derived from previous ones
with a very simple rule, and you can verify for yourself the correctness of any
proof with very little skill. All you need is patience. With no prior
knowledge of advanced mathematics or even any mathematics at all, you can jump
into the middle of any proof, from the most elementary to the most advanced,
and understand immediately how the symbols were mechanically manipulated to go
from one proof step to another, even if you don't know what the symbols
themselves mean. In the next section we show you how.
</P>
<P>
<HR NOSHADE SIZE=1><A NAME="proofs"></A>
<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">How Metamath Proofs Work</FONT></B>
<P>
<CENTER>
<FONT COLOR="#006633">
<I>A mathematical theory is not to be considered complete until you have made
it so clear that you can explain it to the first man whom you meet on the
street.</I>
<BR>
—David Hilbert
</FONT>
</CENTER>
<!--
<P>
<CENTER>
<FONT COLOR="#006633">
<I>Thus mathematics may be defined as the subject in which we never know what
we are talking about, nor whether what we are saying is true.</I>
<BR>
—Bertrand Russell
</FONT>
</CENTER>
<P>
<CENTER>
<FONT COLOR="#006633">
<I>The lyf so short, the craft so long to lerne </I>
<BR>
—Geoffrey Chaucer
</FONT>
</CENTER>
<P>
<CENTER>
<FONT COLOR="#006633">
<I>The ultimate goal of mathematics is to eliminate any need for intelligent
thought.</I>
<BR>
—Alfred North Whitehead
</FONT>
</CENTER>
<P>
<CENTER>
<FONT COLOR="#006633">
<I>...mathematical proofs, like diamonds, are hard as well as clear, and will
be touched with nothing but strict reasoning.</I>
<BR>
—John Locke, <I>Second Reply to the Bishop of Worcester</I>
</FONT>
</CENTER>
<P>
<BLOCKQUOTE>
<FONT COLOR="#006633" SIZE=-1>
He was 40 yeares old before he looked on Geometry; which happened accidentally.
Being in a Gentleman's Library, Euclid's Elements lay open, and 'twas the 47
<I>El. libri</I> I. He read the Proposition. <I>By G__,</I> sayd he (he would
now and then sweare an emphaticall Oath by way of emphasis) <I>this is
impossible!</I> So he reads the Demonstration of it, which referred him back to
such a Proposition; which Proposition he read. That referred him back to
another, which he also read. <I>Et sic deinceps</I> that at the last he was
demonstratively convinced of that trueth. This made him in love with Geometry.
</FONT>
<CENTER>
<FONT COLOR="#006633" SIZE=-1>—John Aubrey, "A Brief Life of
Thomas Hobbes, 1588-1679" in <I>Brief Lives</I> (c. 1694)
</FONT>
</CENTER>
</BLOCKQUOTE>
-->
<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%">
<TR><TD ALIGN=CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5 BGCOLOR="#EEFFFA">
<TR><TD ALIGN=CENTER><IMG SRC="_nmegill.gif" WIDTH=16 HEIGHT=19
ALT="The Floating Head of Wisdom says: "
TITLE="The Floating Head of Wisdom says: ">
<FONT COLOR="#F7941D">
<B>Read this section carefully to learn how to follow a Metamath proof.</B>
</FONT>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
</TD></TR></TABLE>
</CENTER>
<!--
<P>
<FONT SIZE="-1">
[If you are a math novice (or not) and have trouble understanding this section,
<A HREF="../email.html">let me know</A> what you find confusing so that I can
try to improve it. An important point sometimes misunderstood is that Metamath
is <I>not</I> a theorem prover—it does not find these proofs on its own
but just verifies the correctness of proofs provided to it by its users.]
</FONT>
-->
<P>
<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">What you need to know</FONT></B>
The only rule you need to know in order to follow the symbol manipulations in a
Metamath proof is <B>substitution</B>. Substitution consists of replacing the
symbols for variables with expressions representing special cases of those
variables. For example, in high-school algebra you learned that
<I>a</I> + <I>b</I> = <I>b</I> + <I>a</I>, where <I>a</I> and <I>b</I> are
variables (placeholders for numbers). Two substitution instances of this law
are 5 + 3 = 3 + 5 and (<I>x</I> - 7) + <I>c</I> = <I>c</I> + (<I>x</I> - 7).
That's the only mathematical concept you need!
<!-- And if you don't know it, reread this paragraph until you do! -->
Substitution is just writing down a specific example
<!-- or a specialized version --> of a more general formula.
</P>
<!--
<B>Exercise:</B> How do we avoid confusion due to the fact that the
<I>b</I> in the second substitution instance also occurs in the original
formula? <B>Answer:</B> Rename the <I>b</I> of the original formula to
some other variable, say <I>d</I>, giving us <I>a</I> + <I>d</I> =
<I>d</I> + <I>a</I>. Then we replace the two occurrences of <I>a</I>
with (<I>b</I> - 7) and the two occurrences of <I>d</I> with <I>c</I>,
yielding the final answer (<I>b</I> - 7) + <I>c</I> = <I>c</I> +
(<I>b</I> - 7).
-->
<P>
<FONT SIZE="-1">
[Note for logicians: The substitution in Metamath proofs is, indeed, simply
the direct replacement of a variable with an expression. The more complex
proper substitution of <A HREF="#traditional">traditional logic</A> is a
derived concept in Metamath, broken down into multiple primitive steps.
<A HREF="#distinct">Distinct variable</A> conditions, which accompany certain
axioms and are inherited by theorems, forbid unsound substitutions.]
</FONT>
</P>
<P>
<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">How it works</FONT></B>
To show you how this works in Metamath, we will break down and analyze a proof
step in the proof of 2 + 2 = 4. Once you grasp this example, you will
immediately be able to verify for yourself <I>any</I> proof in the
database—no further prerequisites are needed. You may not understand
what all (or any) of the symbols mean, but you can follow the rules for how
they are manipulated, like game pieces, to prove theorems.
</P>
<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN=CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5 BGCOLOR="#EEFFFA">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN=CENTER>
An animated version of the 2+2=4 proof step in this section is presented
starting at 7m32s into David A. Wheeler's
<A HREF="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WH4Rd4UKGE&t=7m32s">Metamath
Proof Explorer: A Modern Principia Mathematica</A>.
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
<P>
Compare this with the years of study it might take to be able to
follow and verify a proof in an advanced math textbook. Typically such
proofs will omit many details, implicitly assuming you have a deep
knowledge of prior material. If you want to be a mathematician, you
will still need those years of study to achieve a high-level
understanding. Metamath will not provide you with that. But if you
just want the ability to convince yourself that a string of math symbols
that mathematicians call a "theorem" is a mechanical consequence of the axioms,
Metamath's proof method lets you accomplish that.
</P>
<P>
Metamath's conceptual simplicity has a tradeoff, which is the often
large number of steps needed for a complete proof all the way back to
the axioms. But the proofs have been computer-verified, and you can
choose to study only the steps that interest you and still have complete
confidence that the rest are correct.
</P>
<P>
<A NAME="figure1"></A>
<TABLE ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH="10%"><TR><TD>
<IMG BORDER=0 SRC="_proofstep.gif"
WIDTH=592 HEIGHT=369
ALT="Breakdown of a proof step. Credit: N. Megill 2003. Public domain."
TITLE="Breakdown of a proof step. Credit: N. Megill 2003. Public domain."
ALIGN=RIGHT STYLE="margin-bottom:0px">
</TD>
</TR>
<TR><TD ALIGN=CENTER>
<FONT SIZE="-1"><B>Figure 1.</B>
Step 2 of the 2p2e4 proof references step 1, which in turn "feeds" the
hypothesis of earlier theorem oveq2i (which used to be called opreq2i). The
conclusion (assertion) of oveq2i then generates step 2 of 2p2e4. Carefully
note the substitutions (lassoed in thin orange lines) that take place.
<BR>
<BR>
<!-- <FONT SIZE=-2 FACE="Comic Sans MS" COLOR=ORANGE>Added</FONT> -->
<FONT SIZE=-1><I>21-Mar-2007</I></FONT>
See also Paul Chapman's <A HREF="_mmbrows2p2e4.png">Metamath browser
screenshot</A>, which shows the substitutions explicitly.
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
<P>
In the figure above we show part of the proof of the theorem 2 + 2 = 4, called
~ 2p2e4 in the database. We will show how we arrived at proof step 2, which is
an intermediate result stating that (2 + 2) = (2 + (1 + 1)). (This figure is
from an older version of this site that didn't show indentation levels, and it
is less cluttered for the purpose of this tutorial. The indentation levels and
the <A HREF="../index.html#pink">little <!-- pink --> colored numbers</A> can
make a higher-level view of the proof easier to grasp.)
</P>
<!-- <P><FONT COLOR="#F7941D" FACE=sans-serif><B>(1)</B></FONT> -->
<P>
<IMG SRC='_orange1circ.gif' WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19 ALT='(1)'>
Look at Step 2 of the proof.
In the Ref column, we see that it references a previously proved theorem,
~ oveq2i . The theorem oveq2i requires a
hypothesis, and in the Hyp column of Step 2 we indicate that Step 1 will
satisfy (match) this hypothesis.
</P>
<P>
<IMG SRC='_orange2circ.gif' WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19 ALT='(2)'>
We make substitutions into the variables of the hypothesis of ~ oveq2i so that
it matches the string of symbols in the Expression column for Step 1. To
achieve this, we substitute the expression "2" for variable ` A ` and the
expression "(1 + 1)" for variable ` B ` . The middle symbol in the hypothesis
of ~ oveq2i is "=", which is a constant, and we are not allowed to substitute
anything for a constant. Constants must match exactly.
</P>
<P>
Variables are always colored, and constants are always black (except the gray
turnstile ` |- ` , which you may ignore). This makes them easy to recognize.
<!--
The variables in our database have 3 possible colors, <FONT
COLOR="#0000FF">blue</FONT>, <FONT COLOR="#FF0000">red</FONT>, and <FONT
COLOR="#CC33CC">purple</FONT>, representing wffs, sets, and classes
respectively. Don't worry about what these terms mean right now. All
variables, regardless of color, follow the same substitution rule.
-->
In our example, the purple uppercase italic letters are variables, whereas the
symbols "(", ")", "1", "2", "=", and "+" are constants.
</P>
<P>
In this example, the constants are probably familiar symbols. In other cases
they may not be. You should focus only on whether the symbols are variables or
constants, not on what they "mean." Your only goal is to determine what
substitutions into the variables of the referenced theorem are needed to make
the symbol strings match.
</P>
<P>
<IMG SRC='_orange3circ.gif' WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19 ALT='(3)'>
In the Expression column of the Assertion box of ~ oveq2i , there are four
variables, ` A ` , ` B ` , ` C ` , and ` F ` . Because we have already made
substitutions into the hypothesis, variables ` A ` and ` B ` have been
committed to the assignments "2" and "(1 + 1)" respectively, and we can't
change these assignments. However, the new variables ` C ` and ` F ` are free
to be assigned with any expression we want (subject to the legal syntax
requirement described below). By substituting "2" for ` C ` and "+" for
` F ` , we end up with (2 + 2) = (2 + (1 + 1)) that we show in the Expression
column for Step 2 of the proof of ~ 2p2e4 .
</P>
<P>
<FONT SIZE="-1">
[It may seem peculiar to substitute a + sign for a variable, because you
wouldn't do that in high-school algebra. We can do this because the variables
represent arbitrary objects called "classes," not just numbers. See the
description for operation value ~ df-ov (don't worry about right-hand side of
the definition, for now). A number and a + sign are both classes. You have to
free your mind to forget about high-school algebra—pretend you have no
idea what a number or "+" is—and just look at what happens to the
symbols, independent of any meaning. In fact (and ironically), it may be
better to look at a proof where all the symbols are unfamiliar, perhaps
~ aleph1re , so that you can observe the mechanical symbol substitutions
without the distraction of preconceived notions.]
</FONT>
</P>
<P>
When we first created the proof, why did we choose these particular
substitutions for ` C ` and ` F `?
The reason is simple—they make the proof work! But how did we know
these particular substitutions should be picked, and not others? That's
the hard part—we didn't know, nor did we know that oveq2i should be
referenced in the second proof step, nor did we know that Step 1 would
have the right expression to match the hypothesis of oveq2i. The
choices were made using intelligent guesses, that were then verified to
work. This is a skill a mathematician develops with experience. Some
of the proofs in our database were discovered by famous mathematicians.
The Metamath Proof Explorer recaptures their efforts and shows you in
complete detail the proof steps and substitutions already worked out.
This allows you to follow a proof even if you are not a mathematician,
and be convinced that its conclusion is a consequence of the axioms.
</P>
<P>
Sometimes a referenced theorem (or axiom or definition) has no
hypotheses. In that case we omit <IMG SRC='_orange1circ.gif' WIDTH=19
HEIGHT=19 ALT='(1)'> and <IMG SRC='_orange2circ.gif' WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19
ALT='(2)'> above and immediately proceed to <IMG SRC='_orange3circ.gif'
WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19 ALT='(3)'>. When there are multiple hypotheses, we
repeat <IMG SRC='_orange1circ.gif' WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19 ALT='(1)'> and
<IMG SRC='_orange2circ.gif' WIDTH=19 HEIGHT=19 ALT='(2)'> for each one.
</P>
<P>
<CENTER>
<TABLE WIDTH="90%">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN=CENTER>
<TABLE BORDER=0 CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=5 BGCOLOR="#EEFFFA">
<TR>
<TD ALIGN=CENTER>
<IMG SRC="_nmegill.gif" WIDTH=16 HEIGHT=19
ALT="The Floating Head of Wisdom says: "
TITLE="The Floating Head of Wisdom says: ">
<FONT COLOR="#F7941D">
<B>
Done! You should now be able to figure out any Metamath proof. In other
words, you should be able to draw a diagram like the one above for any proof
step of any proof.
</B>
</FONT>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</TD>
</TR>
</TABLE>
</CENTER>
<P>
You may want to practice the above procedure for a few other proof steps to
make sure you have grasped the idea.
</P>
<P>
The rest of this section has some notes on substitutions that you may find
helpful and describes the additional requirements for correctness not mentioned
above. As you will observe if you study a few proofs, the Metamath proof
verifier has already ensured these requirements are met, so ordinarily you
don't have to worry about them.
</P>
<P>
<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">Notes on substitutions</FONT></B>
<MENU>
<LI>Substitutions are simultaneous. In other words each occurrence of a
given variable in a referenced theorem must be replaced with the same
expression. For example, there are two occurrences of ` F `
in the Assertion of oveq2i, and both occurrences must be replaced with
the same expression, which is "+" in the above example.
</LI>
<LI>Substitutions are made into the variables of the referenced theorem
only, never into the variables of any proof step referenced
in the Hyp column (of the theorem being proved). <I>In other words you
should pretend that all variables in the theorem being proved are
constants for the purpose of figuring out the substitutions.</I> You can
see this by looking at examples such as Theorem ~ idALT . To follow the proof
of ~ idALT , you should treat the symbol ` ph ` as if it were a
constant symbol, when you are figuring out the substitutions to make
into the variables of the referenced theorems (or axioms).
</LI>
<LI>If the variables of a referenced theorem (or axiom) happen to have
the same names as those in the theorem being proved, you may want to
temporarily rename the variables in the referenced theorem (or axiom)
before substituting expressions for them, to avoid confusion. For
example, the proof of ~ idALT will be less confusing if the occurrences of
` ph ` in the referenced axioms are renamed to something else.
Specifically, you can rewrite ~ ax-1 as, say, ` ( ch -> ( ps -> ch ) ) ` .
Then, to obtain step 2 of the proof of ~ idALT , substitute "` ph `" for ` ch `
and "` ( ph -> ph ) `" for ` ps ` .
</LI>
</MENU>
<P id="legal_syntax">
<B><FONT COLOR="#006633">Legal syntax</FONT></B>
There is a further requirement for Metamath substitutions we have not described
yet. You can't substitute just any old string of symbols for a purple
class variable. Instead, the symbol string must qualify as a class
expression. For example, it would be illegal to substitute the
nonsensical "(1 +" for variable ` B ` above. However, "(1 + 1)" is legal.
Here is how you can tell. "1" is a legal class by ~ c1 . "+" is a
legal class by ~ caddc . Then, by making these
class substitutions into the class variables of ~ co , we see that "(1 + 1)"
is a legal class. But there is no such construction that would let us show
that the nonsensical "(1 +" is a legal class.
</P>
<!--
<P><FONT SIZE="-1">[On the other hand, the fact that 1 and + are both
classes means we are allowed to substitute them for any class variables
at all, even where they normally wouldn't go. For example, it is legal
to substitute + for <I><FONT COLOR="#CC33CC">C</FONT></I> and 1 for
<I><FONT COLOR="#CC33CC">F</FONT></I> in oveq2i above, resulting in the
seemingly nonsensical ( + 1 2 ) = ( + 1 ( 1 + 1 ) ). Believe it or not,
this is a perfectly valid theorem of set theory! However, it jumps out
of the subtheory of arithmetic and is of little use; it certainly
doesn't help us make progress towards a proof of ( 2 + 2 ) = 4.
-->
<!--
If this bothers
you, consider the following analogy: any random collection of syntactically
legal statements in a computer language constitute a valid program,
even though the program would be of little use.
-->
<!--
We can play around with such ideas for fun to prove silly but still
perfectly valid theorems
like ~ avril1 , which if nothing else provides an
interesting exercise for figuring out the substitutions involved in its
proof.]</FONT>
</P>
-->
<P>
Similarly, blue wff variables and red setvar variables can be substituted only
with expressions that qualify as those types.
</P>
<P>
In other words, we must "prove" that any expression we want to substitute for a
variable qualifies as a legal expression for that type of variable, before we
are allowed to make the substitution. This also states precisely what is being
substituted, preventing any ambiguity.
</P>