Goldbach’s conjecture: every even integer greater than $2$ is the sum of two primes
Terms
| Term | This example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| conjecture | ✓ | |
| theorem | ✗ | |
| hypothesis (in science) | ✗ |
Distinctions using this example
- Conjecture vs. hypothesis vs. law vs. theory: Goldbach’s conjecture is a conjecture, because it is a mathematical statement that is believed true but has no proof. It is not a hypothesis, because checking more even numbers cannot establish it; only a proof can.