Proof: Introduction to Higher Mathematics
Fourth Edition, 2009
by Warren W. Esty and Norah C. Esty
This page updated Nov. 21, 2009

coverThis is a text for a course that introduces math majors and math-education majors to the basic concepts, reasoning patterns, and language skills that are fundamental to higher mathematics. The skills include the ability to
 We invite college and university instructors of a "proof" or "transition to higher mathematics" course to request an examination copy.

Contents discussed.  Contents listed.  Section 1.1, a preview section, as a pdf file that looks nice, or as HTML (which has the content, but does not look so nice).  The Table of Contents in pdf, including the Preface and "To the Instructor."  Here is another sample section, Section 2.2 on "Existence Statements and Negation."  

Level.  This text is designed to be used at the sophomore level before students take upper-division math courses. Capable freshman could take it.  The facts of calculus are not a prerequisite. The text does not assume that the students are already strong in logic or the underlying language of mathematics; rather, it aims to make them so. We believe that interested students can become good at reading and writing mathematics, including proofs, if they are taught logical thinking and the notations and patterns of mathematical writing. This text, unlike other transitional mathematics textbooks, provides this necessary background, in addition to teaching methods of proof in the context of several mathematical fields.

Approach.  This text is designed for future mathematics teachers and mathematics majors. It covers the entire language of mathematics including the uses of variables, the conventions of the language, logic, and all the other language features involved in proofs. Most students who like math enough to take a course like this can do mathematical procedures well, but many cannot yet read or write the language well. Our approach is to include many reading and writing lessons and activities before expecting creative proofs from students. 

What Sort of Proofs?  Mostly basic proofs. We want students to know how to organize and get the easy proofs right. If they can, they have much better chances of doing the hard proofs right too.
    Proofs are about such topics as sets, bounds, one-to-one and onto functions, limits, and other topics listed here. 

Here is a link to short page on why faculty would prefer to use this text for a "proof" course.  

A unversity professor commented, "I definitely do not like the other two [introduction to Proof] books I tried. ... The main reason I would use it [The Esty text] again was because it was easy to make class "fun" when I used your book.  We did a lot of fast moving things in class with the quick response items, there were portions of the book that were great for some group work, and the students learned (and enjoyed) the false proofs." [Continued here.]

Here is a link to a page on Unexpected Things We Do that You will Like and Appreciate.

Truth table proofs of important (and only important) logical equivalences.

Proofs early in the text emphasize logical organization and using definitions properly.
Examples such as these are reorganized using definitions and logical equivalences. There are many more variants of each type.
Theorem:  If S ∩ T = S, then S ⊂ T.     [Why might a proof begin, "Let x ∈ S"?  Translation and logic suggest that would be a good place to begin.]
Theorem (half of The Zero Product Rule):  If xy = 0, then x = 0 or y = 0.  [Why can we prove "If xy = 0 and x ≠ 0, then y = 0" instead?]
Theorem: If n2 is even, then n is even.     [Use the contrapositive.]
Conjecture:  If S is bounded, then Sc is not bounded.     [You need to translate "not bounded" into more useful terminology.]
Conjecture:  If f is increasing and g(x) = f(2x), then g is increasing.   [You need to translate "increasing".]
Conjecture:  If x and y are both irrational, then xy is irrational.    [Give a counterexample.]

The syntax of nested quantifiers is discussed at length.
Conjecture:  Let S = (0, 1).  For all x ∈ S there exists y ∈ S such that y > x.  
Conjecture:  Let S = (0, 1).  There exists y ∈ S such that for all x ∈ S, y > x.  [Why do these two, with the same words, have different meanings and truth values?]
Conjecture:  Let S = [0, 1].  If  x ∈ S there exists y ∈ S such that y > x.

There are many conjectures that look likely (and nevertheless may be false)
Conjecture:  |x| < |x+1|.
Conjecture:  If |a| < |b| then |a + c| < |b + c|
Conjecture:  If f(x) ∈ f(S), then x ∈ S.

Inequalities and absolute values are used a great deal in Advanced Calculus courses, so we emphasize them.
Many basic properties of > and < are derived from the trichotomy law.
Many basic properties of absolute values are derived from its definition after properties of inequalities are derived.  (These properties are used in calculus proofs.)
Epsilon-delta proofs are introduced in the early chapters (and there are many more, and more-sophisticated ones, in the later chapters).  

There are many basic induction proofs (and a few harder ones).  "If a+b is divisible by 3, then  a(10n)+b is divisible by 3."
There are many existence proofs.


Chapters 4 through 9 go deeper into selected topics.
Proofs in set theory, bounds, one-to-one and onto, properties of f(S) and f -1(S), number theory, and many other areas (see the Table of Contents discussed or listed.)


Courses:  This text has been used at Montana State University (by Prof. Warren Esty and Prof. David Yopp) and at Marshall University (by Prof. Judy Silver and Prof. Alan Horwitz) and at Stonehill College outside Boston (by Prof. Norah Esty) and chapters have been used by other professors. Instructors at other schools are invited to request an examination copy of the fourth edition. One advantage of using this book is that it will cost your bookstore only a fraction of the cost of other texts (Fletcher and Patty, a slim text for the same market, lists at $170 and is discounted on Amazon to $120!). Our text is inexpensive because it is self-published and we can provide it without the usual whopping markup. Your students will appreciate that! A second reason for using this text is that it is the best!  (In our humble opinion.)  


Contents.  Chapter 1: Preview of proofs, sets, logic (including truth tables) with emphasis on the key logical equivalences used in proofs.
Chapter 2:  Uses of variables,  generalizations, existence statements, negations, how to read theorems and definitions, how the forms of statements can be rearranged, and how to work with recently-defined terms.
Chapter 3:  Proofs, in general. Representative-case proofs, existence proofs, proofs by contrapositive and contradiction, and proofs by induction. Proofs of basic facts about inequalitities and absolute values-- areas which are just tricky enough that mistakes occur frequently. The absolute value section has, interspersed with theorems, numerous "conjectures," some true and some false, which help students become critical thinkers.  The final section in the chapter, "Bad Proofs," requires students to judge arguments and recognize some of the most common types of errors.

^^^^ Chapters 1 through 3 provide a complete discussion of the language of mathematics and the theory of proofs. For a sample of what it discussed in Chapters 1-3, here is Section 1.1, a preview section that summarizes many key ideas.

Chapters 4 through 8 continue the discussion of proof by providing practice.  Each chapter is on a particular topic--set theory, functions, number theory, topology, and calculus.  
The instructor need not do these chapters in order. Pick your favorites. No chapter goes very deeply into the subject, but each goes deep enough to yield interesting results and many good examples of proofs and conjectures. The use of many conjectures is a charasteristic of this text. The students have to do a lot of thinking!

*****  Part II:
Chapter 4:  Set theory, bounds, supremum.
Chapter 5:  Functions, one-to-one, onto, bijection, functions applied to sets [f(S) and f -1(T)], cardinality.

------------ The one-semester course at Montana State University stops here. ------------------  257 pages to here

------------ Montana State University has a second semester for future teachers who do not have time in their curriculum for an entire course on each of these topics. It resumes here:
 
Chapter 6:  Number Theory.  Common divisors, prime numbers, modular arithmetic, cryptography (RSA).
Chapter 7:  Group Theory. Groups. Subgroups, cosets, Lagrange's Theorem, Isomorphism, Quotient Groups.
Chapter 8:  Topology.  Open and closed sets, interior points, accumulation (limit) points.
Chapter 9:  Calculus.  Limits of sequences. Limits and derivatives. [The basic theorems of an "advanced calculus" or "real analysis" course.]

----------------------  410 pages overall


Proof: Introduction to Higher Mathematics, Fourth Edition. Bright yellow! Tape bound.  10" x 7 1/2," 406 pages.  

The Authors.  Prof. Warren Esty (Ph.D. University of Wisconsin-Madison) is at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana, and Prof. Norah Esty (Ph.D., University of California-Berkeley) is at Stonehill College outside Boston. Warren Esty did his degree in probability theory and publishes in probability, statistics, and math education. Norah Esty did her degree in dynamical systems and publishes in topology.

Self-Study?  We do not recommend any proof text for self study. However, more than any other text, this one gives the reader many chances to discover erroneous reasoning and to learn to reason well. Nevertheless, we think it takes an instructor to judge the work of students, for it is impossible for students to recognize, on their own, when their line of thought is not logical. That's why we study logic!  
    This text covers more about how to read math than other similar texts, and provides more about all the preliminaries to proofs. But this text has many "conjectures," which are plausible statements that may or may not be true. These conjectures are used to force students to think critically and to not make false assumptions. Experience shows that even though the conjectures are simple and very closely related to current work in the text, untrained students often do not know which of these are true and which are false. Or, they often provide illogical reasons for their conclusions. Students need an instructor who can respond to their work and correct erroneous thinking.



Requesting a Copy.  To request an desk copy, or merely to enquire, faculty may write me, Warren Esty, using my address:  
mail to