theorem

/ˈθirəm/

/ˈθirəm/

Other forms: theorems

A theorem is a proposition or statement that can be proven to be true every time. In mathematics, if you plug in the numbers, you can show a theorem is true.

Just as a theory is an idea that can be supported or disproved, a theorem is also an idea, but it's one that has been proven and can be demonstrated again and again if used properly. In math class, you might have learned some theorems. One example is the Pythagorean theorem, which can be represented as A squared plus B squared equals C squared. Although it’s usually used in math, theorems can be laws, rules, formulas, or even logical deductions.

Definitions of theorem

1. noun

   an idea accepted as a demonstrable truth
   types:

   Bayes' theorem

   (statistics) a theorem describing how the conditional probability of a set of possible causes for a given observed event can be computed from knowledge of the probability of each cause and the conditional probability of the outcome of each cause

   type of:

   idea, thought

   the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
2. noun

   a proposition deducible from basic postulates
   types:

   binomial theorem

   a theorem giving the expansion of a binomial raised to a given power

   type of:

   proposition

   (logic) a statement that affirms or denies something and is either true or false