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I have a need to modify Erdős' proof of the Sylvester-Schur Theorem to prove something stronger. See my working document at http://math.rudytoody.us/ or http://math.rudytoody.us/OppermannTheorem.pdf

If I have to modify most of the proof, I will use the entire proof (with proper attribution, of course.) However, I don't believe I will need to do that. So, how much should I show of the original? Could I do a line-by-line comparison of the changes? If I only change a few variables, could I do something along the lines of, "By changing variables a, b, c and relaxing condition x, it's easy to see that Erdős' proof arrives at the same conclusion without breaking the original."

Some suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.

edited Aug 16 2011 at 8:51

Fred Kline

community wiki

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Short answer: "It depends on who your audience is, and what they might expect of you" – Yemon Choi Aug 16 2011 at 1:06

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Most people in this audience to not have the Erdös paper handy, so probably your including a complete proof would be best. – Gerald Edgar Aug 16 2011 at 1:34

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Erring on the side of caution is best here: you can always write out the whole proof; if an editor or referee feels it's unnecessary, they will probably point it out. – Thierry Zell Aug 16 2011 at 2:09

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I suggest you write your own proof completely, then mention that your proof is a modification of the proof of Erdös, then cite his paper. – Joel Reyes Noche Aug 16 2011 at 2:47

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I feel this question ought to be made Community Wiki, as it is asking for advice, for which there probably won't be a definitive (much less mathematical) answer. Therefore one wants a list of answers, sorted by upvoting, making CW the right course of action. That would be much better than an endless string of comments. – Todd Trimble Aug 16 2011 at 12:06

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Joel Reyes Noche · Accepted Answer · 2011-08-16 12:25:39Z UTC

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I'm following Todd Trimble's suggestion and writing my comment as an answer:

I suggest you write your own proof completely, then mention that your proof is a modification of the proof of Erdős, then cite his paper.

answered Aug 16 2011 at 12:25

Joel Reyes Noche

community wiki

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Thanks, Joel. I had also suggested this be made CW. – Todd Trimble Aug 16 2011 at 12:50

I agree completely. – Igor Rivin Aug 16 2011 at 13:03

Joel: even if the question is not community wiki yet, you can make your own answer community wiki by clicking on the appropriate box. – Thierry Zell Aug 16 2011 at 13:45

Sorry, I thought that only the poster of the question could make it community wiki. I made my answer CW now. Thanks for the info. – Joel Reyes Noche Aug 16 2011 at 15:25

What is the protocol for making modifications to someone else’s proof to prove something slightly stronger?

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