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This is both a problem, and an opportunity for me to learn proof building, so sorry for being too detailed.

An 'odd square number' means : a square number which is odd also, e.g. $9, 25, 49, 121, 169$.
Square of an odd number (which can be of the form : $2n+1$) will be of the form $4n^2 + 4n+1= 4n(n+1)+1=8n+1$.

The original statement ($P\implies Q$) is:
An odd square number cannot be of the form $4n+3$ for some integer $n$:
$P$ : An odd square number;
$Q$: $\exists n \in \mathbb{Z}$, s.t. form of the number is $4n+3$,
with the problem being represented as: $P \implies \neg Q$.

But, unable to directly prove the title.

Only an indirect proof can be attempted by me.
If a given statement is: $P\implies Q\equiv \neg P \vee Q$, then using indirect approach, $4$ different hypothetical approaches are:
(i) Proving by converse : if $Q$, then $P$ => $\neg Q\vee P$. But, there is no relation between truth value of converse and the original, as also given here.
(ii) Proving by inverse : if not $P$, then not $Q$ => $\neg P\implies \neg Q$, or $P \vee \neg Q$. But there is no relation between truth value of inverse and the original, as given in link at (i).
(iii) Proving by contrapositive : if not $Q$, then not $P$ => $\neg Q\implies \neg P $, or $Q \vee\neg P \equiv$ the original statement.
(iv) Proving by contradiction (reductio ad absurdum): My approach is based on article here, that differentiates clearly between negation & contradiction.
Prove falsity of: $\neg (P\implies Q)$ => $\neg (\neg P \vee Q)$ => $P \wedge \neg Q$


Let me attempt each of the two approaches, i.e. (iii), (iv).

(i) contrapositive based approach: Need prove the falsity of: $\neg(\neg Q) \implies \neg P\equiv Q \implies \neg P$ :
$ \exists n \in \mathbb{Z}$ such that the form of number is $4n+3 \implies $ An even square number.
Unable to prove above, but it is easy to prove falsity of the converse of the above, i.e. : an even square number is of the form $4n+3$.

(ii) contradiction based approach: Here, am unable to even formulate the problem correctly. Or if it is correct, then am unable to pursue.
The problem here is:
Prove that $\neg (P\implies \neg Q)\equiv \neg(\neg P \vee \neg Q)\equiv P\wedge Q$ is false, i.e. to prove that the below combination is false:
(An odd square number)$\wedge (\exists n \in \mathbb{Z}$ such that the form of number is $4n+3)$


Edit Have two observations:
1. It is given by answers that the contrapositive approach needs the help of 'informal' contradiction, i.e. showing that contrapositive is false.
The selected approach shows in a more rigorous (by which, I mean (i) a more formal way, (ii) a more clearer way, that relies less on words and more on showing the truth/falsity, to explain to any one else by me) manner.
2. Also, need show that the contradiction approach is false in a similar manner.

Can there be a better 'word' for 'informal' usage of the contradiction, so as to make it more easy to understand or frame proofs? I wish that word should not be negation, as that also has a formal meaning, as shown by a link above, as a technique distinct from contradiction.
Why not the word 'falsity/false/falsehood' is universally used, to show this 'informal' negation/contradiction?

jiten
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    Why do not conclude by $\pmod 4$? – user Apr 05 '18 at 16:44
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    Maybe this is the point of the class, but I think you are being way too detailed and concerned about form here. Proof-writing is a holistic skill that one must learn both in a creative and a logical sense. Your approach seems to be all logic. Just try writing some things down! – The Count Apr 05 '18 at 16:45
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    An immediate proof is $$(2n+1)^2=4n^2+4n+1\equiv 1\mod 4$$ – Peter Apr 05 '18 at 16:46
  • @TheCount Please elaborate your comment, that creativity should also be there in proof building; in context of my post. – jiten Apr 05 '18 at 16:53
  • @TheCount I hoped some more input from your side, and wished too as such factors cannot be easily raised by an newbie in the field. – jiten Apr 05 '18 at 17:33
  • @TheCount I hope my edited OP addresses (at least, one part) of your concern about lack of creativity. The other part, if it is there, is still ambiguous to me, as can be interpreted many ways: (i) contradiction and contrapositive - nearly similar, but smacks of being wrong in a rigorous approach, (ii) words being a substitute for the rigorous proof as shown by the selected answer, but again same issue of rigor, (iii) classifying too much into categories of approach, just simply show falsity, but grounding has to be on rigor to see many issues, say converse & inverse approaches are useless. – jiten Apr 06 '18 at 00:22
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    @jiten All I mean about creativity is that the more you try, the more you'll see. You'll not only correct ways, but you'll see why some ways don't work, which is as important. No proof in any paper or book was just written down that way. There is probably mountains of scrap paper with ineffective work on it related to that proof. – The Count Apr 06 '18 at 13:15

4 Answers4

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Let observe that

$$(2n+1)^2\equiv 1 \pmod 4$$

but

$$4n+3\equiv 3 \pmod 4$$

user
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  • But, by your approach which approach can be stated to apply- i.e. contrapositive, or contradiction. Or is it as per @TheCount, that form should not matter much. – jiten Apr 05 '18 at 16:49
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    @jiten We can proceed by contradiction: suppose exists an odd square in the form 4n+3 then $4n+3\equiv 3 \pmod 4$ but for all integer $k (2k+1)^2=4k^2+4k+1\equiv 1 \pmod 4$ which is a contradiction. – user Apr 05 '18 at 16:52
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    @jiten But in this case since all odd numbers are in the form $(2k+1)\implies (2k+1)^2\equiv 1 \pmod 4$ and since for all number we have only one remainder among $0,1,2,3$ $\pmod 4$ we can exclude that there exist an odd square number in the form $4n+3$. – user Apr 05 '18 at 16:56
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Your owring is very confusing. For instance

Proving by converse : if Q, then P => ¬Q⟹P, or Q∨P, or P∨Q. But, there is no relation between truth value of converse and the original, as also given here.

You have "if .. then", => and ⟹. Are you using them to mean different things? Does "if Q, then P => ¬Q⟹P" mean "( if Q, then P) => (¬Q⟹P)"? or "if Q, then (P => ¬Q⟹P)" or something else?

As for the actual proof, we have either k = 2n or k=2n+1. If k =2n, then $k^2=4n^2$, which is even, so this is not an odd square. So we have to have k = 2n+1. This part can be viewed as proof by contradiction/contrapositive; if we square an even number, we don't get an odd number, so if we have an odd number, we couldn't have gotten it by squaring an even number.

Once we have that k = 2n+1, we have that $k^2 = 4n^2+4n+1=4(n^2+n)+1$, so $k^2$ is equal to 1 modulus 4. As for now showing it's not equal to 3 modulus 4, this follows directly from the properties of modulus; modulus is a unique number, so if its modulus is 1, then its modulus is not 3. But if you really want a rigorous proof, you could do a contrapositive, $k^2 = 4n'+3$. Since $k^2 = 4(n^2+n)+1$, we have $4(n^2+n)+1=4n'+3$ and $4(n^2+n-n')=3-1=2$, therefore $n^2+n-n'=\frac 2 4 = \frac 1 2$. But n^2+n-n' must be an integer, which is a contradiction.

Acccumulation
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  • Yes, but "if...then" is same as $\implies$, while => is just a connective. I have edited that line in OP. I hope it is now clearer. – jiten Apr 05 '18 at 17:06
  • Thanks a lot for providing a rigorous proof. I hope this will serve as a foundation to many proofs. I request help in proof by contradiction approach, as in the OP, that am unable to build upon/pursue. – jiten Apr 05 '18 at 17:14
  • In absence of your response to my request for help on my incomplete proof by contradiction, I hope that the approach cannot be directly pursued in this case. But, do not know the reason. Or may be it can be used only as part of contrapositive approach, as your answer has shown. But, still do not know the reason, may be delving more into the contradiction based approach will show its unsuitability for direct application here. – jiten Apr 05 '18 at 17:22
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Suppose on the contrary that $n$ is an odd square and $n \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$.

That is suppose $\exists m \in \mathbb{Z}$, $n=m^2$ and $n \equiv 1 \pmod{2}$ and $n \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$.

We can consider two cases:

Case $1$: $m$ is an even number, that is $\exists k \in \mathbb{Z}, m=2k$, then $n=(2k)^2=4k^2 \equiv 0 \pmod{4}$ which contradicts that $n \equiv 3\pmod{4}$. Hence we rule out this case.

Case $2$: $m$ is an odd number, that is $\exists k \in \mathbb{Z}, m=2k+1$, then $n=(2k+1)^2=4(k^2+k)+1 \equiv 1 \pmod{4}$ which contradicts that $n \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$.

Hence the assumption that $n$ is an odd square and $n \equiv 3 \pmod{4}$ must be wrong.

Siong Thye Goh
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  • Thanks a lot for elaboration. I hope that the even case consideration was only for pedagogical purposes, as an even number cannot lead to an odd square. – jiten Apr 06 '18 at 03:33
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    That's good. Then directly goes to since $n$ is an odd square, we know that $m$ is an odd number.. continue at case $2$. – Siong Thye Goh Apr 06 '18 at 03:35
  • Please help with my post for 'Trisecting $90^o$' at: https://math.stackexchange.com/q/2729092/424260. – jiten Apr 09 '18 at 12:08
  • Please help with my post for general case of nn-sect using bisection, in my today's post at: https://math.stackexchange.com/q/2737093/424260. – jiten Apr 14 '18 at 21:11
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It might be useful to prove: if $x^2$ is odd then $x$ is odd.

Then if $x^2$ is odd, the $x$ is odd, then $x$ is of the form $2m + 1$ and $x^2 = 4m^2 + 4m + 1 = 4(m^2 + m) + 1$ and is of the form $4n + 1$, and therefore is not of the form $4n+3$.

This assumes:

1) All odd numbers are of the form $2m + 1$.

2) All numbers are either of the form $4n; 4n + 1; 4n+2; 4n+3$ and the those are exhaustive and mutually exclusive.

3) And it assumes if $x^2$ is odd then $x$ is odd.

fleablood
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