CS2006D: D ISCRETE S TRUCTURES

Propositional Logic

Renjith P.

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Logical Equivalences

⋆ Compound propositions that have the same truth values in all

possible cases are called logically equivalent.
⋆ The compound propositions p and q are called logically
equivalent if p ↔ q is a tautology.
⋆ The notation p ≡ q denotes that p and q are logically equivalent.
⋆ The symbol ≡ is not a logical connective, and p ≡ q is not a
compound proposition.
⋆ The symbol ⇐⇒ is sometimes used instead of ≡ to denote
logical equivalence.
⋆ One way to determine whether two compound propositions are
equivalent is to use a truth table.

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Logical Equivalences using Truth Tables

¬(P ∨ Q) is equivalent to (¬P ∧ ¬Q)

¬P ∨ Q is equivalent to P → Q

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Some Logical Equivalences

P → (Q → R) equivalent to (P → Q) → (P → R)
P Q R Q→R (P → Q) (P → R) (P → Q) → (P → R) P → (Q → R)

T T T T T T T T
T T F F T F F F
T F T T F T T T
T F F T F F T T
F T T T T T T T
F T F F T T T T
F F T T T T T T
F F F T T T T T

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Some Logical Equivalences

p ∨ (q ∧ r ) and (p ∨ q) ∧ (p ∨ r ) are logically equivalent

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Some Logical Equivalences

Logical Equivalences Involving Conditional Statements

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Some Logical Equivalences

Logical Equivalences Involving Biconditional Statements

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Logical Equivalences and their Name

E QUIVALENCE N AME
p ↔ (p ∨ p) p ↔ (p ∧ p) Idempotence
p∨q ↔q∨p p∧q ↔q∧p Commutativity
(p ∨ q) ∨ r ↔ p ∨ (q ∨ r ) (p ∧ q) ∧ r ↔ p ∧ (q ∧ r ) Associativity
¬(p ∨ q) ↔ ¬p ∧ ¬q ¬(p ∧ q) ↔ ¬p ∨ ¬q De-morgans Law
p ∧ (q ∨ r ) ↔ (p ∧ q) ∨ (p ∧ r ) p ∨ (q ∧ r ) ↔ (p ∨ q) ∧ (p ∨ r ) Distribution
p∨T↔T p∧F↔F Domination
p ∨ ¬p ↔ T p ∧ ¬p ↔ F Negation
p∨F↔p p∧T↔p Identity
p ↔ ¬(¬p) Double negation
p ∨ (p ∧ q) ↔ p p ∧ (p ∨ q) ↔ p Absorption law
p → q ↔ ¬p ∨ q Implication
(p ↔ q) ↔ (p → q) ∧ (q → p) Equivalence
(p ∧ q) → r ↔ p → (q → r ) Exportation
(p → q) ∧ (p → ¬q) ↔ ¬p Absurdity
p → q ↔ ¬q → ¬p Contrapositive

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Logical Implication and their Name

I MPLICATION N AME
p → (p ∨ q) Addition
(p ∧ q) → p Simplification
[p ∧ (p → q)] → q Modus Ponens
[(p → q) ∧ ¬q] → ¬p Modus Tollens
[¬p ∧ (p ∨ q)] → q Disjunctive Syllogism
[(p → q) ∧ (q → r )] → (p → r ) Hypothetical Syllogism
((p ∨ q) ∧ (¬p ∨ r )) → (q ∨ r ) Resolution
(p → q) → [(q → r ) → (p → r )]
[(p → q) ∧ (r → s)] → [(p ∧ r ) → (q ∧ s)]
[(p ↔ q) ∧ (q ↔ r )] → p ↔ r

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Questions

Show that ¬(p → q) and p ∧ ¬q are logically equivalent

¬(p → q) ≡ ¬(¬p ∨ q) (Implication)
≡ ¬(¬p) ∧ ¬q (The De Morgan’s Law)
≡ p ∧ ¬q (The Double Negation Law)

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Questions

Show that ¬(p ∨ (¬p ∧ q)) and ¬p ∧ ¬q are logically equivalent

¬(p ∨ (¬p ∧ q)) ≡ ¬p ∧ ¬(¬p ∧ q)) (The De Morgan’s Law)
≡ ¬p ∧ [¬(¬p) ∨ ¬q] (The De Morgan’s Law)
≡ ¬p ∧ (p ∨ ¬q) (The Double Negation Law
≡ (¬p ∧ p) ∨ (¬p ∧ ¬q) (The Distributive Law)
≡ F ∨ (¬p ∧ ¬q) (Negation, ¬p ∧ p ≡ F )
≡ (¬p ∧ ¬q) ∨ F (The Commutative Law)
≡ ¬p ∧ ¬q (The Identity Law)

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Questions

Show that (p ∧ q) → (p ∨ q) is a tautology

(p ∧ q) → (p ∨ q) ≡ ¬(p ∧ q) ∨ (p ∨ q) (Implication)
≡ (¬p ∨ ¬q) ∨ (p ∨ q) (The De Morgan’s Law)
≡ (¬p ∨ p) ∨ (¬q ∨ q) (The associative and
commutative laws)
≡ T∨T (Negation, ¬p ∨ p ≡ T)
≡ T (the domination law)

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Questions

Show that ¬(p ∨ (¬p ∧ q)) and ¬p ∧ ¬q are logically equivalent

¬(p ∨ (¬p ∧ q)) ≡ ¬p ∧ ¬(¬p ∧ q)) (The De Morgan’s Law)
≡ ¬p ∧ [¬(¬p) ∨ ¬q] (The De Morgan’s Law)
≡ ¬p ∧ (p ∨ ¬q) (The Double Negation Law
≡ (¬p ∧ p) ∨ (¬p ∧ ¬q) (The Distributive Law)
≡ F ∨ (¬p ∧ ¬q) (Negation, ¬p ∧ p ≡ F )
≡ (¬p ∧ ¬q) ∨ F (The Commutative Law)
≡ ¬p ∧ ¬q (The Identity Law)

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Case Study

1. DM is a classical subject
2. If DM is a classical subject, then B.Tech in CSE is a good program

Therefore, B.Tech in CSE is a good program

Is the above argument a valid one? Does the conclusion follow from
the premise?

P: DM is a classical subject
Q: B.Tech in CSE is a good program
Given
P
P → Q In otherwords, Is (P ∧ (P → Q)) → Q is a tautology?
Q
If (P ∧ (P → Q)) → Q is a tautology, then Q follows.

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Case Study
1. If DM is a classical subject, then B.Tech CSE is a good program
2. If B.Tech CSE is a good program, then MS(CSE) is a good program

Therefore, If DM is a classical subject, then MS(CSE) is a good pro-

gram

Is the above argument a valid one? Does the conclusion follow from
the premise?
P: DM is a classical subject
Q: B.Tech CSE is a good program
R: MS(CSE) is a good program
Given
P→ Q
Q→R
P→R
In otherwords, Is ((P → Q) ∧ (Q → R)) → (P → R) is a tautology?
If ((P → Q) ∧ (Q → R)) → (P → R) is a tautology, then P → R follows.
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Case Study

Determine whether these system specifications are consistent:

1 “The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer or it is
retransmitted.”
2 “The diagnostic message is not stored in the buffer.”
3 “If the diagnostic message is stored in the buffer, then it is
retransmitted.”

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Case Study

Determine whether these system specifications are consistent:

1 “The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer or it is
retransmitted.”
2 “The diagnostic message is not stored in the buffer.”
3 “If the diagnostic message is stored in the buffer, then it is
retransmitted.”
p: The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer
q: The diagnostic message is retransmitted
p ∨ q, ¬p, p → q
p: T RUE
q: FALSE

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Case Study

Determine whether these system specifications are consistent:

1 “The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer or it is
retransmitted.”
2 “The diagnostic message is not stored in the buffer.”
3 “If the diagnostic message is stored in the buffer, then it is
retransmitted.”
4 “ The diagnostic message is not retransmitted”

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Case Study

Determine whether these system specifications are consistent:

1 “The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer or it is
retransmitted.”
2 “The diagnostic message is not stored in the buffer.”
3 “If the diagnostic message is stored in the buffer, then it is
retransmitted.”
4 “ The diagnostic message is not retransmitted”
p ∨ q, ¬p, p → q, ¬q
See the truth value of (p ∨ q) ∧ ¬p ∧ (p → q) ∧ ¬q
If (p ∨ q) ∧ ¬p ∧ (p → q) ∧ ¬q is a contradiction, then the above system
specifications are inconsistent.

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Propositional Satisfiability

⋆ A compound proposition is satisfiable if there is an assignment of

truth values to its variables that makes it true.
Such an assignment is called a solution of this particular
satisfiability problem.
⋆ When the compound proposition is false for all assignments of
truth values to its variables, the compound proposition is
unsatisfiable.
⋆ Note that a compound proposition is unsatisfiable if and only if
its negation is true for all assignments of truth values to the
variables, that is, if and only if its negation is a tautology.

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Propositional Satisfiability

Determine whether each of the compound propositions are satisfiable?

1 (p ∨ ¬q) ∧ (q ∨ ¬r ) ∧ (r ∨ ¬p)
2 (p ∨ q ∨ r ) ∧ (¬p ∨ ¬q ∨ ¬r )
3 (p ∨ ¬q) ∧ (q ∨ ¬r ) ∧ (r ∨ ¬p) ∧ (p ∨ q ∨ r ) ∧ (¬p ∨ ¬q ∨ ¬r )
4 (p ∨ ¬q) ∧ (¬p ∨ q) ∧ (¬p ∨ ¬q)
5 (p → q) ∧ (p → ¬q) ∧ (¬p → q) ∧ (¬p → ¬q)
6 (p ↔ q) ∧ (¬p ↔ q)

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Logic Puzzles

Puzzles that can be solved using logical reasoning are known as logic
puzzles
1 Smullyan posed many puzzles about an island that has two kinds
of inhabitants, knights, who always tell the truth, and their
opposites, knaves, who always lie. You encounter two people A
and B. What are A and B if A says B is a knight and B says The
two of us are opposite types?

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Logic Puzzles

Puzzles that can be solved using logical reasoning are known as logic
puzzles
1 Smullyan posed many puzzles about an island that has two kinds
of inhabitants, knights, who always tell the truth, and their
opposites, knaves, who always lie. You encounter two people A
and B. What are A and B if A says B is a knight and B says The
two of us are opposite types?
Both A and B are knaves

NIT Calicut CS2006D: Discrete Structures 20 / 21

Logic Puzzles

Puzzles that can be solved using logical reasoning are known as logic
puzzles
2 A father tells his two children, a boy and a girl, to play in their
backyard without getting dirty. However, while playing, both
children get mud on their foreheads. When the children stop
playing, the father says “At least one of you has a muddy
forehead,” and then asks the children to answer “Yes” or “No” to
the question: “Do you know whether you have a muddy
forehead?” The father asks this question twice. What will the
children answer each time this question is asked, assuming that a
child can see whether his or her sibling has a muddy forehead,
but cannot see his or her own forehead? Assume that both
children are honest and that the children answer each question
simultaneously.

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