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Intro Math Reasoning

mathematical calculations

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2 views3 pages

Intro Math Reasoning

mathematical calculations

Uploaded by

simonnjorogesmv
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Question 1

(a) ‘There is no solution to the equation y2 = x2(x + 1) with x ∈ Z − {0} and y ∈ Z − {0} when y is odd.’

Solution

The given statement can be written symbolically as:

∀x ∈ Z - {0}, ∀y ∈ Z - {0}, y is odd → y² ≠ x²(x + 1)

To negate this statement, we can use De Morgan's laws and logical equivalences:

¬(∀x ∈ Z - {0}, ∀y ∈ Z - {0}, y is odd → y² ≠ x²(x + 1))

≡ ∃x ∈ Z - {0}, ∃y ∈ Z - {0}, y is odd ∧ y² = x²(x + 1)

The negated statement is: "There exists integers x and y (excluding 0) such that y is odd and y² = x²(x +
1)."

To determine if the original statement is true or false, we can look for a proof or counterexample.

Counterexample:

Let x = 2 and y = 3. Then y is odd, and y² = 9 = 2²(2 + 1) = x²(x + 1), so there is a solution to the equation.
Therefore, the original statement is false.

Proof:

Suppose y² = x²(x + 1) for some x ∈ Z - {0} and y ∈ Z - {0} where y is odd. Then we can write y² = x(x² + x)
= x(x + 1)(x - 1) + x, which implies that x divides y².

Since x and y are relatively prime (because they have no common factors other than 1), it follows that x
divides y. Let y = kx for some integer k. Then the equation y² = x²(x + 1) becomes k²x² = x²(x + 1), which
simplifies to k² = x + 1/x.

The left-hand side of this equation is a non-negative integer, so the right-hand side must also be a non-
negative integer. Therefore, x must be either 1 or -1. But x cannot be -1, since it is excluded from the set
of values for x. So x = 1, and we have k² = 2. But there is no integer k such that k² = 2, so we have a
contradiction.

Therefore, there is no solution to the equation y² = x²(x + 1) with x ∈ Z - {0} and y ∈ Z - {0} when y is odd.

b) Let p be prime and let n be a natural number. If p divides n! then p


divides n + p’.
Symbolic language with quantifiers:

∀p∈Primes,∀n∈N,(p|n! → p|(n+p))

Negation of the statement:

∃p∈Primes,∃n∈N,(p|n! ∧ ¬p|(n+p))

Translation of negation:

There exists a prime number p and a natural number n such that p divides n! and p does not divide n +
p.

To determine the truth value of the statement, we will prove it and then use that proof to show that its
negation is false.

Proof:

Let p be a prime and n be a natural number such that p divides n!. This means that p divides the product
of all positive integers up to and including n.

We want to show that p divides n + p. We can rewrite n + p as n + (n - 1) + ... + 2p + p. We know that p


divides n!, so it also divides (n - 1)!, (n - 2)!, and so on down to p!. Therefore, p divides the sum of these
factorials, which is n + (n - 1) + ... + 2p + p.

Therefore, we have shown that if p divides n!, then p divides n + p.

Since we have proved the statement, its negation is false. Therefore, the original statement is true.

Question 2

write its contrapositive form: ‘For any natural number p > 2, if p is even and 2p + 5 is odd then p is not
even or a square’

Here ‘a square’ means ‘the square of a natural number’.

Answer

Symbolic language with quantifiers:

∀p > 2, (p is even ∧ 2p + 5 is odd) → (p is not even ∨ ∃n ∈ N, p = n^2)


Implication form:

(p is even ∧ 2p + 5 is odd) → (p is not even ∨ ∃n ∈ N, p = n^2)

Contrapositive form:

(¬(p is not even ∨ ∃n ∈ N, p = n^2)) → ¬(p is even ∧ 2p + 5 is odd)

Using De Morgan's laws, we can simplify the negation of the consequent:

(¬(p is not even) ∧ ∀n ∈ N, p ≠ n^2) → (p is odd ∨ ¬(p is even))

Using double negation, we can simplify the antecedent:

(p is even ∧ ∀n ∈ N, p ≠ n^2) → (p is odd ∨ ¬(p is even))

Thus, the contrapositive of the statement is:

For any natural number p > 2, if p is even and p is a square, then 2p + 5 is even or p is not even.

Note that the original statement and its contrapositive are both true.

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