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The section header "Theorem mining — better than crypto?" makes me wonder: instead of POW based cryptocurrencies, could we use POT(Proof of Theorem)? Machines c
by krunck 4y ago
The section header "Theorem mining — better than crypto?" makes me wonder: instead of POW based cryptocurrencies, could we use POT(Proof of Theorem)? Machines could grind away looking for theorems. It's still a POW method, but it provides some potentially useful output.
- Euphorbium 4y agoYou have to know in advance about how long it will take to mine the next block. Is it possible to do it here? Probably not.
- miga 4y agoMost useful proof-of-work yet... However, it is somewhat hard to mathematically define all criteria used to recognize *useful* theorem. There may be many propositions that are true, but cause no excitement among mathematicians.
- dvt 4y agoThis wouldn't work because all theorems are trivially extensible. Either by adding extra theorems via conjunction, e.g. my new theorem C = previously-mined theorems {A} ∪ {B}; or by adding garbage to the end, e.g my new theorem C = {A} ∪ {...arbitrary nonsense that cancels out}, e.g. (+ 0 + 0 + 0), or (- 1 + 1 - 1 + 1), or vastly more complex formulations. Logic isn't the study of merely finding out what's true, but what's true and interesting.
- hashmush 4y agoProof of... proof?
- zaik 4y agoIt's only useful if the theorems proven are interesting. Maybe there could be a cryptocurrency for mathematicians where you post theorem statements and put money in them. First one to find a proof gets whatever money was in the theorem.
- remram 4y agoThe way blockchain works is that you generate a problem based on the contents of the block. If the proof you find is in no way related to a block it cannot be a cryptocurrency. You could make a system to reward people for finding proofs, but it would be more of a Bounty system or a Leaderboard than a cryptocurrency. Indeed people do put up prizes for those kind of things today.