Editorial Board

Helmut Hofer Institute for Advanced Study
Nicholas M. Katz Princeton University
Sergiu Klainerman Princeton University
Fernando C. Marques Princeton University
Assaf Naor Princeton University
Zoltán Szabó Princeton University
The Associate Editors are: Ian Agol, Frank Calegari, Jacob Fox, Alex Lubotzky, Russell Lyons, William Minicozzi, and Pham Huu Tiep.

Statement by the Editors on Computer-Assisted Proofs

Computer-assisted proofs of exceptionally important mathematical theorems will be considered by the Annals.

The human part of the proof, which reduces the original mathematical problem to one tractable by the computer, will be refereed for correctness in the traditional manner. The computer part may not be checked line-by-line, but will be examined for the methods by which the authors have eliminated or minimized possible sources of error: (e.g., round-off error eliminated by interval arithmetic, programming error minimized by transparent surveyable code and consistency checks, computer error minimized by redundant calculations, etc. [Surveyable means that an interested person can readily check that the code is essentially operating as claimed]).

We will print the human part of the paper in an issue of the Annals. The authors will provide the computer code, documentation necessary to understand it, and the computer output, all of which will be maintained on the Annals of Mathematics website online.