How many theorems are there in mathematics?

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The discussion highlights the vastness of mathematical theorems, suggesting there are potentially infinite theorems, though not all are deemed interesting. It notes that estimating the number of mathematical research papers published may provide a clearer picture, with a significant number containing original theorems. Historical data indicates Canada produced 73 mathematical research papers per million people in 1990, with the US and Holland following. The exponential growth in mathematical publishing is emphasized, with estimates suggesting around 1,000,000 papers have been published to date. The conversation reflects on the complexity of quantifying theorems compared to other cosmic queries.
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How many theorems are there in mathematics?

A very stupid question... I hope there's an answer!
 
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42. The 43rd might be invented soon.
 


There are an infinite number of potential theorems. However, not all of them are interesting.
 
Maybe easier to estimate is the number of mathematical research papers published. Most of those will contain at least one original theorem, many of those will contain multiple theorems.

Found on-line in the Canadian Encyclopedia: Canada produced 73 mathematical research papers per year per million of the population in 1990. US and Holland followed with 47 mathematical research papers per year per million of the population.

From the Association of Research Libraries ( http://www.arl.org/sc/subversive/viii-a-researchers-perspective.shtml ):
The exponential growth in mathematical publishing has interesting implications. Adding up the numbers in [MR] or simply extrapolating from the current figure of about 50,000 papers per year and a doubling every 10 years, we come to the conclusion that about 1,000,000 mathematical papers have ever been published.
 


Vanadium is right an easier question to answer would be how many planets in the universe or how many moons in the universe.
 

Thread 'Area of Overlapping Squares'

Here is a little puzzle from the book 100 Geometric Games by Pierre Berloquin. The side of a small square is one meter long and the side of a larger square one and a half meters long. One vertex of the large square is at the center of the small square. The side of the large square cuts two sides of the small square into one- third parts and two-thirds parts. What is the area where the squares overlap?
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