What is Postulate?
A '''postulate''' – sometimes called an [[axiom]] – is a [[statement]] widely agreed to be true. This is useful for creating [[proof]] in the fields of [[science]] and [[mathematics]]. ==Introduction== Alongside [[Definition|definitions]], postulates are often the basic [[truth]] of a much larger [[theory]] or [[law]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=2019-08-01|title=The Definitive Glossary of Higher Mathematical Jargon: Axiom|url=https://mathvault.ca/math-glossary/#axiom|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=2020-10-08|website=Math Vault|language=en-US}}</ref> For this reason, a postulate is a [[hypothesis]] advanced as an essential part to a train of reasoning.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Definition of POSTULATE|url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/postulate|access-date=2020-10-08|website=www.merriam-webster.com|language=en}}</ref> ==Quality== Postulates themselves cannot be proven, but since they are usually self-evident, their acceptance is not a problem. Here is a good example of a postulate – given by [[Euclid]] in his studies about [[geometry]].{{cn|date=February 2025}} :''Two points determine (make) a line.'' Using this postulate and four others like it, Euclid brought a new understanding of [[geometry]] to the world, and many people think they are some of the most [[Influence|influential]] works in geometry – even in our time. Sometimes, postulates are not obviously correct, but are required for their consequences. One example is [[Albert Einstein]]'s postulate that the [[universe]] is homogenous. This type of postulate was necessary to make possible some major scientific achievements, but can also be problematic since it is not self-evident.{{cn|date=February 2025}} ==Characteristics== As a rule of thumb, postulates tend to have the following characteristics: # Few in quantity # Obvious and easy to understand # Does not contain many words that are difficult to explain # True when used alone – they can be used independently # Work together without making any strange result (that is, they a