Unit 1: Number and Algebra

Topic 1.15: Proof by induction (HL only) Questions

Practice 20 exam-style questions for IB Math AA SL Topic 1.15. Review the question stems below, then unlock the full Question Bank to access markschemes, model answers, and AI grading.

11 mark
2026
To DISPROVE 'for all n, P(n) is true', a counterexample is a value where:
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21 mark
2026
Why can ONE counterexample disprove a 'for all' statement?
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3Disprove2 marks
2026
Disprove: 'For all real x, if x > 1 then 1/x > 1.'
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4State2 marks
2026
State the four steps you must write in any proof by induction.
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51 mark
2026
Proof by contradiction relies on the fact that:
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61 mark
2026
Which step proves that 'true for k' forces 'true for k + 1'?
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71 mark
2026
For 'aⁿ − bⁿ divisible by (a − b)', the base case checks:
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81 mark
2026
Which is the WRONG way to start a contradiction proof of 'x is irrational'?
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91 mark
2026
A proof reaches '2 = 1'. This means:
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10Disprove2 marks
2026
Disprove: 'For all real numbers x, √(x²) = x.'
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11Disprove2 marks
2026
Disprove: 'If a number is divisible by 4, then it is divisible by 8.'
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121 mark
2026
A proof that omits the conclusion sentence is likely to:
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131 mark
2026
A counterexample to 'all multiples of 3 are odd' is:
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141 mark
2026
Which disproves 'x² > 0 for all real x'?
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15Disprove2 marks
2026
Disprove: 'For all positive integers n, 2ⁿ > n².'
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16Prove6 marks
2026
Prove by induction that 2 + 4 + 6 + … + 2n = n(n + 1) for all n ∈ ℤ⁺.
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17Disprove2 marks
2026
Disprove: 'The product of two irrational numbers is always irrational.'
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181 mark
2026
In proving 6ⁿ − 1 divisible by 5, the step rewrites − 1 as:
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191 mark
2026
Why isn't checking n = 1, 2, 3, …, 100 a valid proof for all n?
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20Explain1 mark
2026
Explain why the base case cannot be left out.
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