Editing Theorem (section)

==Lore==

It has been estimated that over a quarter of a million theorems are proved every year.{{sfn|Hoffman|1998|p=204}}

The well-known [[aphorism]], [[q:Paul Erdős|"A mathematician is a device for turning coffee into theorems"]], is probably due to [[Alfréd Rényi]], although it is often attributed to Rényi's colleague [[Paul Erdős]] (and Rényi may have been thinking of Erdős), who was famous for the many theorems he produced, the [[Erdős number|number]] of his collaborations, and his coffee drinking.{{sfn|Hoffman|1998| p= 7}}

The [[classification of finite simple groups]] is regarded by some to be the longest proof of a theorem. It comprises tens of thousands of pages in 500 journal articles by some 100 authors. These papers are together believed to give a complete proof, and several ongoing projects hope to shorten and simplify this proof.<ref>[http://plus.maths.org/issue41/features/elwes/index.html An enormous theorem: the classification of finite simple groups], Richard Elwes, Plus Magazine, Issue 41 December 2006.</ref> Another theorem of this type is the [[four color theorem]] whose computer generated proof is too long for a human to read. It is among the longest known proofs of a theorem whose statement can be easily understood by a layman.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}