Course Title : Mathematics in the Modern World

Section: BSBA MKT (2F BF, 2E BF, 2G BF) and BSBA FM (2C)

Schedule: Saturday

Name of Faculty : Ana Lisa M. Mesina

Module No. 10

Topic: LOGIC

Lesson Title: The Conditional and Biconditional

Week Number

Learning outcomes:
At the end of this module, the students will be able to:

• prepare truth table for Conditional and Biconditional statements

• understand the idea of antecedent and consequent

• apply the equivalent form of the Conditional

THE CONDITIONAL AND THE BICONDTIONAL

CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS

Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

The above quotation is from the movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. The movie stars Matthew
Broderick as Ferris, a high school senior who pretends to be ill so he can spend the day in Chicago,
with his friend Cameron and his girlfriend Sloane. The sentence, “If you don’t stop and look
around once in a while, you could miss it,” is a conditional statement. Conditional statements
can be written in if p, then q form or in if p, q form. For instance, all of the following are conditional
statements.

If we order pizza, then we can have it delivered.

If you go to the movie, you will not be able to meet us for dinner.
 If n is a prime number greater than 2, then n is an odd number.

In any conditional statement represented by “If p, then q” or by “If p, q” the p statement

Example 1. Identify the Antecedent and Consequent of a Conditional

Identify the antecedent and consequent in the following statements.

a. If our school was this nice, I would go there more than once a week.
-The Basketball Diaries
b. If you don’t get in the plane, you’ll regret it.
-Casablanca
c. If you strike me down, I shall become more powerful that you can possibly imagine.
-Obi-Wan Kenobi, Star Wars, Episode IV, A New Hope

Solution

a. Antecedent: our school was this nice

Consequent: I would go there more than once a week

b. Antecedent: you don’t get in that plane

Consequent: you’ll regret it

c. Antecedent: you strike me down

Consequent: I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine

Check your Progress 1. Identify the antecedent and consequent in each of the following
conditional statements.

a. If I study for at least 6 hours, then I will get an A on the test.

b. If I get the job, I will buy a new car.

c. If you can dream it, you can do it.

The conditional statement, “If p, then q,” can be written using the arrow notation p → q. The arrow notation
p → q is read as “If p, then q” or as “p implies q.”
The Truth Table for the Conditional p → q

To determine the truth table for p → q, consider the advertising slogan for a web
authorizing software product that states, “If you can use a word processor, you can create
a web page.” This slogan is a conditional statement. The antecedent is p, “you can use a
word processor,” and the consequent is q “you can create a webpage.” Now consider the
truth value of p → q for each of the following four possibilities.

Antecedent p: you can Consequent q: you can p→q

T T ? Row 1

T F ? Row 2

F T ? Row 3

F F ? Row 4

Table 5.7

Row 1: Antecedent T, Consequent T You can use a word processor, and you can create a
webpage. In this case the truth value of the advertisement is true. To complete the table 5.7, we
place a T om place of the question mark in row 1.

Row 2: Antecedent T, Consequent F You can use a word processor, but you cannot create a
webpage. In this case the advertisement is false. We put an F in place of the question mark in
row 2 of the table 5.7.

Row 3: Antecedent F, Consequent T You can use a word processor, but you cannot create a
webpage. Because the advertisement does not make any statement about what you might or
might not be able to do if you cannot use a word processor, we cannot state that the
advertisement is false, and we are compelled to place a T in place of the question mark in row 3
of the given table 5.7.

Row 4: Antecedent F, Consequent F You can use a word processor, and you cannot create a
webpage. Once again we must consider the truth value in this case to be true because the
advertisement does not make any statement about what you might or might not be able to do if
you cannot use a word processor. We place a T in place of the question mark in row 4 of the table
5.7.

The truth table for the conditional p → q is given in the next table 5.8.
Table 5.8 Truth table for p → q

p q p→q

T T T

T F F

F T T

F F T

Truth Value of the Conditional p → q

The conditional p → q is false if p is true and q is false. It is true in all other cases.

Example 2 Find the Truth Value of a Conditional

Determine the truth value of each of the following conditional statements.

a. If 2 is an integer, then 2 is a rational number.

b. If 3 is a negative number, then 5 > 7.

c. If 5 > 3, then 2 + 3 = 4

Solution

a. Because the consequent is true, this is a true statement.

b. Because the antecedent is false, this is a true statement.

c. Because the antecedent is true and the consequent is false, this is a false statement.

Check your Progress 2. Determine the truth value of each of the following conditional
statements.

a. If 4 ≥, then 2 + 5 = 6.

b. If 5 > 9, then 4 > 9.

c. If Tuesday follows Monday, then April follows March.

Construct a truth table for [p ^ (q V ∼p)] → ∼p.

Solution

Enter the truth table for each simple statement and its negation as shown in column 1, 2, 3,
and 4. Use the truth values in a column 2 and 3 to determine the truth values to enter in
column 5, under the “or” connective. Use the truth values in column 1 and 5 to determine
the truth values to enter in column 6 under the “and” connective. Use the truth values in
column 6 and 4 to determine the truth values to enter in column 7 under “If…then”
connective.

p q [p ^ (q V ∼p → ∼p

T T T T T T F F F

T F T F F F F T F

F T F F T T T T T

F F F F F T T T T

1 6 2 5 3 7 4

Check your Progress 3. Construct a truth table for [p ^ (p → )] → q

Example Application of Conditional Statements

MATH MATTERS. USE CONDITIONAL STATEMENTS TO CONTROL A CALCULATOR

Computer and calculator programs use conditional statements to control the flow of a
program. For instance the “If…Then” instruction is a TI-83 or TI-84 calculator program directs
the calculator to execute a group of commands of a condition is true and to skip to the End
statement if the condition is false. See the program steps below.

:If condition

:Then (skip to End if condition is false)

:End

:commands that follow the End statement

The TI-83/84 program FACTOR shown in the left margin, factors a natural number N into its
prime factors. Note the use of the “If…Then” instructions highlighted in red.

An Equivalent Form of the Conditional

The truth table for ∼p V q is shown in the table below. The truth values in table 5.9 are
identical to the truth values in table 5.8 (page 4). Hence, the conditional p → q is equivalent
to the disjunction ∼p V q.

p q ∼p V q

T T T

T F F

F T T

F F T

Truth table for ∼p V q

An equivalent form of the Conditional p → q

p → q ≡ ∼p V q

Example 4. Write a conditional in its Equivalent Disjunction Form

Write each of the following in its equivalent disjunction form.

a. If I could play the guitar, I would join the band.

b. If Cam Newton cannot play, then his team will lose.

In each case we write the disjunction of the negation of the antecedent and the consequent.

a. I cannot play the guitar or I would join the band.

b. Cam Newton can play or his team will lose.

Check your Progress 4. Write each of the following in its equivalent disjunction form.

a. If I don’t move to Georgia, I will leave in Houston.

b. If the number is divisible by 2, then the number is even.

The Negation of the Conditional

Because p → q ≡ ∼p V q, an equivalent form of ∼( p → q) is given by ∼ (∼p V q), which, by one

The Negation of p → q

∼ (p → q) ≡ p ^ ∼q

Example 5. Write the Negation of a Conditional Statement

Write the negation of each conditional statement.

a. If they pay me the money, I will sign the contract.

b. If the lines are parallel, then they do not intersect.

Solution

a. They paid me the money and I did not sign the contract.

b. The lines are parallel and they intersect.

a. If I finish the report, I will go to the concert.

b. If the square of n is 25, then n is 5 or -5.

The Biconditional

The statement ( p → q) ^ ( q → p) is called a bidonditional and is denoted by p ⟷ q, which is

The Biconditional of p ⟷ q

p ⟷ q ≡ [(p → q ) ^ (q → P)]

Example 6. Write Symbolic Biconditional Statements in Words

Let p, q, and r represent the following:

p: She will go on vacation.

q: She cannot take the train.

r: She cannot get a loan.

Write the following symbolic statements in words:

a. p ⟷ ∼q

b. ∼r ⟷ ∼p

Solution

a. She will go on vacation if and only if she can take the train.

b. She can get a loan if and only if she does not go on vacation.
Check your Progress 6. Use p, q, and r as defined in example 6

Write the following symbolic statements in words:

a. p ⟷ ∼r

b. ∼q ⟷ ∼r

Table 5.10 shows that p ⟷ q is true only when p and q have the same truth value.

p q p⟷q

T T T

T F F

F T F

F F T

Example 7. Determine the truth Value of a Biconditional

State whether each biconditional is true or false.

a. X + 4 = 7 if and only if x = 3.

b. X2 = 36 if and only if x = 6.

Solution

a. Both equations are true when x = 3, and both are false when x ≠ 3.

b. If x = -6, the first equation is true and the second equation is false. Thus this is a false
statement.

Check your Progress 7. State Whether each biconditional is true or false.

a. x > 7 if and only if x > 6.

b. x + 5 > 7 if and only if x > 2.

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