# Proof by induction Fibonacci

Prove correctness of the following algorithm for computing the nth Fibonacci number.

algorithm fastfib (integer n)
if n<0return0;
else if n = 0 return 0;
else if n = 1 return 1;
else a ← 1; b ← 0;
for i from 2 to n do
t ← a; a ← a + b; b ← t;
return a;
end


Not 100% how to complete this with proof by induction. How I started: Base case: The proof is by induction on n. consider the cases n = 0 and n = 1. in these cases, the algorithm presented returns 0 and 1, which may as well be the 0th and 1st Fibonacci numbers.

Now we assume that the algorithm return the correct Fibonacci number for n ( the nth Fibonacci number) for all n<= k where k >= 1. I wasn't sure if I was on right track and where to move from here.

• Assume that the k'th Fibonacci number is indeed the value of fastfib(k) for k=1, 2, ...k-1, k. Now run the algorithm for n = k+1 and look for cases where you find yourself computing fastfib(k) and fastfib(k-1) as you crank the handle on the algorithm. It should reduce to a step where you establish that fastfib(k+1) = fastfib(k) + fastfib(k-1), and then you are home free. – AlwaysLearning May 24 '17 at 0:47

You don't want to do induction on the fastfib routine as a whole, since it is not written as a recursive procedure (which is why it is fast, since the typical recursive routine is not)

Instead, you want to do induction on the $i$ of the for loop. In particular, show that after you have done the operations inside the for loop for some value of $i$, $a$ equals Fibonacci number $i$, and $b$ equals Fibonacci number $i-1$

So, as the base you can take $i=2$: given that $a$ is initially set to 1, and $b$ to 0, after the operations $t \leftarrow a$ (so $t$ is set to 1), $a \leftarrow a +b$ (so now $a$ is 1), and $b \leftarrow t$ (so now $b$ is 1), we have indeed that $a=1=F_2$, and $b=1=F_1$. Check!

As a step: assume that after you have done the operations inside the for loop for $i=k$, we have that $a=F_k$ and $b=F_{k-1}$. So now when $i$ becomes $k+1$ and we do one more pass through the operations, we get:

$t \leftarrow a$: so $t=F_k$

$a \leftarrow a +b$: so $a=F_k+F_{k-1}=F_{k+1}$

$b \leftarrow t$: so $b=F_k$

So, $a=F_{k+1}$ and $b=F_k$, as desired. Check!

• So you wouldn't use n = 0 and 1 as the base case ? why would you use 2 ? – M.Jones May 24 '17 at 1:00
• @M.Jones You could use that as a base case as well ... But I had my reasons for picking 2: I want to do induction over $i$, and the first value of $i$ is 2. Also, the routine returns $a$ after the loop is done, so to me the natural point at which I want to describe the values of he variables is after each time the operations inside the for loop have been done. – Bram28 May 24 '17 at 1:10
• okay thanks ! would the inductive hypothesis be we must show that the algorithm returns the correct value for k + 1 . By the induction hypothesis k >= 1 – M.Jones May 24 '17 at 1:18
• oh actually my part doesn't make sense ignore that – M.Jones May 24 '17 at 1:18
• @M.Jones Again, don't do induction over the algorithm/routine as a whole, because fastfib(k+1) does not generate a call to fastfib(k) ... You need to focus on the for loop – Bram28 May 24 '17 at 1:21
algorithm fastfib (integer n)
if      n < 0 return 0;
else if n = 0 return 0;
else if n = 1 return 1;
else {
a ← 1;
b ← 0;
for i from 2 to n do {
#assert a = F(i - 1)
#assert b = F(i - 2)
t ← a;
a ← a + b;
b ← t;
#assert a = F(i)
#assert b = F(i - 1)
}
#assert i = n + 1
#assert a = F(i - 1)
return a;
}
end


Now you can prove the assertions with induction.