The Foundations: Logic and Proofs: Chapter 1, Part I: Propositional Logic
The Foundations: Logic and Proofs: Chapter 1, Part I: Propositional Logic
and Proofs
Chapter 1, Part I: Propositional Logic
Copyright © McGraw-Hill Education. All rights reserved. No reproduction or distribution without the prior written consent of McGraw-Hill Education.
Chapter Summary
Propositional Logic
The Language of Propositions
Applications
Logical Equivalences
Predicate Logic
The Language of Quantifiers
Logical Equivalences
Nested Quantifiers
Proofs
Rules of Inference
Proof Methods
Proof Strategy
Propositional Logic Summary
The Language of Propositions
Connectives
Truth Values
Truth Tables
Applications
Translating English Sentences
System Specifications
Logic Puzzles
Logic Circuits
Logical Equivalences
Important Equivalences
Showing Equivalence
Satisfiability
Propositional Logic
Section 1.1
Section Summary
Propositions
Connectives
Negation
Conjunction
Disjunction
Implication; contrapositive, inverse, converse
Biconditional
Truth Tables
Propositions
A proposition is a declarative sentence that is either true or false.
Examples of propositions:
a) The Moon is made of green cheese.
b) Trenton is the capital of New Jersey.
c) Toronto is the capital of Canada.
d) 1+0=1
e) 0+0=2
Examples that are not propositions.
a) Sit down!
b) What time is it?
c) x + 1 = 2
d) x + y = z
Propositional Logic
Constructing Propositions
Propositional Variables: p, q, r, s, …
The proposition that is always true is denoted by T and
the proposition that is always false is denoted by F.
Compound Propositions; constructed from logical
connectives and other propositions
Negation ¬
Conjunction ∧
Disjunction ∨
Implication →
Biconditional ↔
Compound Propositions: Negation
The negation of a proposition p is denoted by ¬p and
has this truth table:
p ¬p
T F
F T
p q p →q
T T T
T F F
F T T
F F T
Example: If p denotes “I am at home.” and q denotes “It is
raining.” then p →q denotes “If I am at home then it is raining.”
In p →q , p is the hypothesis (antecedent or premise) and q is
the conclusion (or consequence).
Understanding Implication
In p →q there does not need to be any connection
between the antecedent or the consequent. The
“meaning” of p →q depends only on the truth values of p
and q.
These implications are perfectly fine, but would not be
used in ordinary English.
“If the moon is made of green cheese, then I have more
money than Bill Gates. ”
“If the moon is made of green cheese then I’m on welfare.”
“If 1 + 1 = 3, then your grandma wears combat boots.”
Understanding Implication (cont)
One way to view the logical conditional is to think of an
obligation or contract.
“If I am elected, then I will lower taxes.”
“If you get 100% on the final, then you will get an A.”
If the politician is elected and does not lower taxes, then
the voters can say that he or she has broken the campaign
pledge. Something similar holds for the professor. This
corresponds to the case where p is true and q is false.
Different Ways of Expressing p →q
if p, then q p implies q
if p, q p only if q
q unless ¬p q when p
q if p
q whenever p p is sufficient for q
q follows from p q is necessary for p
p q r is equivalent to (p q) r
If the intended meaning is p (q r )
then parentheses must be used.
Applications of
Propositional Logic
Section 1.2
Applications of Propositional Logic:
Summary
Translating English to Propositional Logic
System Specifications
Boolean Searching
Logic Puzzles
Logic Circuits
AI Diagnosis Method (Optional)
Translating English Sentences
Steps to convert an English sentence to a statement in
propositional logic
Identify atomic propositions and represent using
propositional variables.
Determine appropriate logical connectives
“If I go to Harry’s or to the country, I will not go
shopping.”
p: I go to Harry’s If p or q then not r.
q: I go to the country.
r: I will go shopping.
Example
Problem: Translate the following sentence into
propositional logic:
“You can access the Internet from campus only if you are
a computer science major or you are not a freshman.”
One Solution: Let a, c, and f represent respectively
“You can access the internet from campus,” “You are a
computer science major,” and “You are a freshman.”
a→ (c ∨ ¬ f )
System Specifications
System and Software engineers take requirements in
English and express them in a precise specification
language based on logic.
Example: Express in propositional logic:
“The automated reply cannot be sent when the file
system is full”
Solution: One possible solution: Let p denote “The
automated reply can be sent” and q denote “The file
system is full.”
q→ ¬ p
Consistent System Specifications
Definition: A list of propositions is consistent if it is possible
to assign truth values to the proposition variables so that each
proposition is true.
Exercise: Are these specifications consistent?
“The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer or it is retransmitted.”
“The diagnostic message is not stored in the buffer.”
“If the diagnostic message is stored in the buffer, then it is retransmitted.”
Solution: Let p denote “The diagnostic message is stored in the buffer.” Let q
denote “The diagnostic message is retransmitted” The specification can be
written as: p ∨ q, ¬p, p → q. When p is false and q is true all three statements
are true. So the specification is consistent.
What if “The diagnostic message is not retransmitted is added.”
Solution: Now we are adding ¬q and there is no satisfying assignment. So the
specification is not consistent.
Logic Puzzles Raymond
Smullyan
(Born 1919)
An island has two kinds of inhabitants, knights, who always tell the truth,
and knaves, who always lie.
You go to the island and meet A and B.
A says “B is a knight.”
B says “The two of us are of opposite types.”
Example: What are the types of A and B?
Solution: Let p and q be the statements that A is a knight and B is a
knight, respectively. So, then p represents the proposition that A is a
knave and q that B is a knave.
If A is a knight, then p is true. Since knights tell the truth, q must also be true.
Then (p ∧ q)∨ ( p ∧ q) would have to be true, but it is not. So, A is not a
knight and therefore p must be true.
If A is a knave, then B must not be a knight since knaves always lie. So, then
both p and q hold since both are knaves.
Logic Circuits
(Studied in depth in Chapter 12)
Electronic circuits; each input/output signal can be viewed as a 0 or 1.
0 represents False
1 represents True
Complicated circuits are constructed from three basic circuits called gates.
The inverter (NOT gate)takes an input bit and produces the negation of that bit.
The OR gate takes two input bits and produces the value equivalent to the disjunction of the two
bits.
The AND gate takes two input bits and produces the value equivalent to the conjunction of the
two bits.
More complicated digital circuits can be constructed by combining these basic circuits to
produce the desired output given the input signals by building a circuit for each piece of
the output expression and then combining them. For example:
Diagnosis of Faults in an Electrical System
(Optional)
AI Example (from Artificial Intelligence: Foundations
of Computational Agents by David Poole and Alan
Mackworth, 2010)
Need to represent in propositional logic the features
of a piece of machinery or circuitry that are required
for the operation to produce observable features. This
is called the Knowledge Base (KB).
We also have observations representing the features
that the system is exhibiting now.
Electrical System DiagramOutside
(optional)
Power
s1 cb1
l1
l2
Representing the Electrical System in
Propositional Logic
We need to represent our common-sense understanding
of how the electrical system works in propositional logic.
For example: “If l1 is a light and if l1 is receiving current,
then l1 is lit.
light_l1 live_l1 ok_l1 → lit_l1
Also: “If w1 has current, and switch s2 is in the up
position, and s2 is not broken, then w0 has current.”
live_w1 up_s2 ok_s2 → live_w0
This task of representing a piece of our common-sense
world in logic is a common one in logic-based AI.
Knowledge Base (opt)
live_outside We have outside power.
light_l1
Both l1 and l2 are lights.
light_l2
live_w0 → live_l1
live_w1 up_s2 ok_s2 → live_w0 If s2 is ok and s2 is in a down
live_w2 down_s2 ok_s2 → live_w0 position and w2 has current,
live_w3 up_s1 ok_s1 → live_w1 then w0 has current.
live_w3 down_s1 ok_s1 → live_w2
live_w4 → live_l2
live_w3 up_s3 ok_s3 → live_w4
live_outside ok_cb1 → live_w3
light_l1 live_l1 ok_l1 → lit_l1
light_l2 live_l2 ok_l2 → lit_l2
Observations (opt)
Observations need to be added to the KB
Both Switches up
up_s1
up_s2
P ¬p p ∨¬p p ∧¬p
T F T F
F T T F
Logically Equivalent
Two compound propositions p and q are logically equivalent if p↔q
is a tautology.
We write this as p⇔q or as p≡q where p and q are compound
propositions.
Two compound propositions p and q are equivalent if and only if the
columns in a truth table giving their truth values agree.
This truth table shows that ¬p ∨ q is equivalent to p → q.
p q ¬p ¬p ∨ q p→ q
T T F T T
T F F F F
F T T T T
F F T T T
De Morgan’s Laws
Augustus De Morgan
1806-1871
Domination Laws: ,
Idempotent laws: ,
Negation Laws: ,
Key Logical Equivalences (cont)
Commutative Laws: ,
Associative Laws:
Distributive Laws:
Absorption Laws:
More Logical Equivalences
Constructing New Logical Equivalences
We can show that two expressions are logically equivalent by
developing a series of logically equivalent statements.
To prove that we produce a series of equivalences
beginning with A and ending with B.
No
Disjunctive Normal Form is important for the circuit
design methods discussed in Chapter 12.
Disjunctive Normal Form (optional)
Example: Show that every compound proposition can be
put in disjunctive normal form.
Solution: Construct the truth table for the proposition.
Then an equivalent proposition is the disjunction with n
disjuncts (where n is the number of rows for which the
formula evaluates to T). Each disjunct has m conjuncts
where m is the number of distinct propositional
variables. Each conjunct includes the positive form of the
propositional variable if the variable is assigned T in that
row and the negated form if the variable is assigned F in
that row. This proposition is in disjunctive normal from.
Disjunctive Normal Form (optional)
Example: Find the Disjunctive Normal Form (DNF) of
(p∨q)→¬r
Solution:
1. Eliminate implication signs: