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In mathematics, the successor function or successor operation sends a natural number to the next one. The successor function is denoted by S, so S(n) = n + 1. For example, S(1) = 2 and S(2) = 3. The successor function is one of the basic components used to build a primitive recursive function.
In mathematical logic, Gödel's β function is a function used to permit quantification over finite sequences of natural numbers in formal theories of arithmetic. The β function is used, in particular, in showing that the class of arithmetically definable functions is closed under primitive recursion, and therefore includes all primitive recursive functions.
Because its elements are related to the previous elements in a straightforward way, they are often defined using recursion. A drawing of the first 75 terms of Recamán's sequence, according with the method of visualization shown in the Numberphile video The Slightly Spooky Recamán Sequence [3]
[1] [2] Recursion solves such recursive problems by using functions that call themselves from within their own code. The approach can be applied to many types of problems, and recursion is one of the central ideas of computer science. [3] The power of recursion evidently lies in the possibility of defining an infinite set of objects by a finite ...
The primitive recursive functions are closely related to mathematical finitism, and are used in several contexts in mathematical logic where a particularly constructive system is desired. Primitive recursive arithmetic (PRA), a formal axiom system for the natural numbers and the primitive recursive functions on them, is often used for this purpose.
The entire set of natural numbers is computable. Each natural number (as defined in standard set theory) is computable; that is, the set of natural numbers less than a given natural number is computable. The subset of prime numbers is computable. A recursive language is a computable subset of a formal language.
In mathematics, a pairing function is a process to uniquely encode two natural numbers into a single natural number. Any pairing function can be used in set theory to prove that integers and rational numbers have the same cardinality as natural numbers. [1]
Primitive recursive arithmetic (PRA) is a quantifier-free formalization of the natural numbers. It was first proposed by Norwegian mathematician Skolem (1923) , [ 1 ] as a formalization of his finitistic conception of the foundations of arithmetic , and it is widely agreed that all reasoning of PRA is finitistic.