1.

Axiom
In mathematics or logic, an axiom is an unprovable rule or first principle accepted as true
because it is self-evident or particularly useful. “Nothing can both be and not be at the same
time and in the same respect” is an example of an axiom. The term is often used
interchangeably with postulate, though the latter term is sometimes reserved for mathematical
applications (such as the postulates of Euclidean geometry). It should be contrasted with a
theorem, which requires a rigorous proof.

2. Postulate
Postulates are statements that are assumed to be true without proof. Postulates serve two
purposes – to explain undefined terms, and to serve as a starting point for proving other
statements.
3. Lemma
In mathematics, informal logic and argument mapping, a lemma (plural lemmas or lemmata) is a
generally minor, proven proposition which is used as a stepping stone to a larger result. For that
reason, it is also known as a “helping theorem” or an “auxiliary theorem”.
4. Theorem
A theorem is a statement that can be demonstrated to be true by accepted mathematical
operations and arguments. In general, a theorem is an embodiment of some general principle
that makes it part of a larger theory. The process of showing a theorem to be correct is called a
proof.
5. Corollary
In mathematics, a corollary is a theorem connected by a short proof to an existing theorem. The
use of the term corollary, rather than proposition or theorem, is intrinsically subjective. More
formally, proposition B is a corollary of proposition A, if B can be readily deduced from A or is
self-evident from its proof.
6. Proposition
A proposition is a statement that is either true or false. In our course, we will usually call a
mathematical proposition a theorem. A theorem is a main result. A proposition that is mainly of
interest to prove a larger theorem is called a lemma. Some intermediate results are called
propositions.