ABSTRACT
The first chapter introduces the basic concepts and rules of logic which are instrumental in doing mathematical proofs. It discusses what true and false statements are, how statements can be combined, and how one statement can follow from another. It illustrates the danger of having a contradiction in mathematics. The art of proofs in mathematics uses a number of special terms, and this chapter has a section that explains the meaning of the essential terminology. Finally, it presents the types of statements that are usually proved (such as existence, uniqueness, or a property) and several common proof methods.
