Question

Postulates, definitions, conjectures, and theorems have distinguishing features that help identify them. Which of the following answer choices accurately represents the term's distinguishing feature?
A. A conjecture tells you what a term means or what to do with a concept
B. A theorem is assumed to be true, and it does not have to be proven
C. A definition is a statement that is made based on observations that must be proven true
D. A postulate is assumed to be true, and it does not have to be proven
C.

Answer 1

The correct distinguishing feature is:

D. A postulate is assumed to be true, and it does not have to be proven.

To clarify the other options:
- A conjecture is a statement that is believed to be true based on observations but has not yet been proven.
- A theorem is a statement that has been proven to be true based on previously established statements, such as axioms or other theorems.
- A definition explains what a term means or describes a concept, rather than being a statement that needs to be proven.

So, D accurately describes the nature of a postulate.