Questions tagged [fake-proofs]

Seemingly flawless arguments are often presented to prove obvious fallacies (such as 0=1). This is the appropriate tag to use when asking "Where is the proof wrong?" about proofs of such obvious fallacies.

An example of a fake proof is $$1=\sqrt{-1\cdot-1}=\sqrt{-1}\sqrt{-1}=i^2=-1$$ which fails because $\sqrt{xy}=\sqrt x\sqrt y$ does not hold if $x$ or $y$ is negative. Sometimes the proof may be presented as a puzzle, the challenge being to identify the flaw.

For asking about identifying flaws in general proofs ("spot the mistake"); the tag should instead be used.

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The staircase paradox, or why $\pi\ne4$

What is wrong with this proof? Is $\pi=4?$
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In the history of mathematics, has there ever been a mistake?

I was just wondering whether or not there have been mistakes in mathematics. Not a conjecture that ended up being false, but a theorem which had a proof that was accepted for a nontrivial amount of time before someone found a hole in the argument.…
Steven-Owen
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Best Fake Proofs? (A M.SE April Fools Day collection)

In honor of April Fools Day $2013$, I'd like this question to collect the best, most convincing fake proofs of impossibilities you have seen. I've posted one as an answer below. I'm also thinking of a geometric one where the "trick" is that it's…
Potato
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Why $\sqrt{-1 \cdot {-1}} \neq \sqrt{-1}^2$?

I know there must be something unmathematical in the following but I don't know where it is: \begin{align} \sqrt{-1} &= i \\\\\ \frac1{\sqrt{-1}} &= \frac1i \\\\ \frac{\sqrt1}{\sqrt{-1}} &= \frac1i \\\\ \sqrt{\frac1{-1}} &= \frac1i \\\\…
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Visually deceptive "proofs" which are mathematically wrong

Related: Visually stunning math concepts which are easy to explain Beside the wonderful examples above, there should also be counterexamples, where visually intuitive demonstrations are actually wrong. (e.g. missing square puzzle) Do you know the…
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math fallacy problem: $-1= (-1)^3 = (-1)^{6/2} = \sqrt{(-1)^6}= 1$?

I know there is something wrong with this but I don't know where. It's some kind of a math fallacy and it is driving me crazy. Here it is: $$-1= (-1)^3 = (-1)^{6/2} = \sqrt{(-1)^6}= 1?$$
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$1=2$ | Continued fraction fallacy

It's easy to check that for any natural $n$ $$\frac{n+1}{n}=\cfrac{1}{2-\cfrac{n+2}{n+1}}.$$ Now,…
Mher
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Fake induction proofs

Question: Can you provide an example of a claim where the base case holds but there is a subtle flaw in the inductive step that leads to a fake proof of a clearly erroneous result? [Note: Please do not answer with the very common all horses are the…
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How to convince a layperson that the $\pi = 4$ proof is wrong?

The infamous "$\pi = 4$" proof was already discussed here: Is value of $\pi = 4$? And I have read all the answers, yet I think that they will not be of much help to me if I try to explain this thing to a non mathematician. The main missing point, in…
Gadi A
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How come $32.5 = 31.5$? (The "Missing Square" puzzle.)

Below is a visual proof (!) that $32.5 = 31.5$. How could that be? (As noted in a comment and answer, this is known as the "Missing Square" puzzle.)
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$1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 \ldots = -1$ paradox

I puzzled two high school Pre-calc math teachers today with a little proof (maybe not) I found a couple years ago that infinity is equal to -1: Let x equal the geometric series: $1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 \ldots$ $x = 1 + 2 + 4 + 8 + 16 \ldots$ Multiply…
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Where is the flaw in this "proof" that 1=2? (Derivative of repeated addition)

Consider the following: $1 = 1^2$ $2 + 2 = 2^2$ $3 + 3 + 3 = 3^2$ Therefore, $\underbrace{x + x + x + \ldots + x}_{x \textrm{ times}}= x^2$ Take the derivative of lhs and rhs and we get: $\underbrace{1 + 1 + 1 + \ldots + 1}_{x \textrm{ times}}…
user116
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What's wrong with this reasoning that $\frac{\infty}{\infty}=0$?

$$\frac{n}{\infty} + \frac{n}{\infty} +\dots = \frac{\infty}{\infty}$$ You can always break up $\infty/\infty$ into the left hand side, where n is an arbitrary number. However, on the left hand side $\frac{n}{\infty}$ is always equal to $0$. Thus…
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What are the Laws of Rational Exponents?

On Math SE, I've seen several questions which relate to the following. By abusing the laws of exponents for rational exponents, one can come up with any number of apparent paradoxes, in which a number seems to be shown as equal to its opposite…
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Axiom of Choice: Where does my argument for proving the axiom of choice fail? Help me understand why this is an axiom, and not a theorem.

In terms of purely set theory, the axiom of choice says that for any set $A$, its power set (with empty set removed) has a choice function, i.e. there exists a function $f\colon \mathcal{P}^*(A)\rightarrow A$ such that for any subset $S$ of $A$,…
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