[Math] Why can mathematical induction only be used with natural numbers

induction

So, I've been learning Principle of Mathematical Induction as part of my syllabus, and so far, I've found it to be really fun to do. There's one thing I don't understand though (and none of my teachers could answer this):

Why is it necessary to use only natural numbers?

Something like real numbers or complex numbers is understandable since they can have infinite numbers between any two 'whole numbers', but what about something like integers or whole numbers? Even if taking $P(0)$ as the basic step is impossible, why not something like $P(-1)$, and then take $P(K – 1)$ as the inductive step? I don't see any reason why it isn't possible.

Best Answer

It is possible indeed, the principle of induction is much more general than you may think. There are many induction theorems you can prove for the most intuitive of them if you understand the principal idea which is well-foundedness, or well-orderedness. (but maybe it is too soon for you to benefit from the effort you would have to make to understand these notions)


The usual induction theorem for $\mathbb{Z}$ can be proven using regular induction. It can be stated as:

If a property $P(x)$ satisfies $P(n)$ for some integer $n$ and $\forall k \in \mathbb{Z}(P(k) \longrightarrow P(k-1) $ and $P(k+1))$, then it is true for every integer.


If you don't know how to prove PMI using the fact that every non-empty subset of $\mathbb{N}$ has a least element, I suggest you look for a proof. I remember I was very happy to discover this at the time I thought PMI was just some kind of common belief among mathematicians; and it is still a very interesting theorem for me.