CSE 1201

Discrete Mathematics

Lecture 4
Predicates and Quantifier
Outlines
Predicates
Quantifiers
Applications of Quantifiers
Multivariable Quantifiers

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Predicates (Propositional
Function)
and
Quantifiers
Predicates (Propositional Function)

• So far we can represent the statement – “10 > 100” or “10 <=
100”
• But we can’t represent - “x > 3,” “x = y + 3,” “x + y = z,”
• Can represent – “Jorna knows C programming.”
• Can’t represent – “X knows C programming.”
• Can’t represent – “Every student know C programming.”
• Can’t represent – “At least one student know C programming.”

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Predicates : “x is greater than 3”
“x is greater than 3” has two parts
• “x is greater than 3” – the variable x, is the subject of the
statement.
• “x is greater than 3” – the predicate, refers to a
property that the subject of the statement can have.
• We can denote the statement “x is greater than 3” by P(x),
• Where P denotes the predicate “is greater than 3” and
• x is the variable.
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Predicates : “x is greater than 3”
• We can denote the statement “x is greater than 3” by P(x),
• Where P denotes the predicate “is greater than 3” and
• x is the variable.
• The statement P(x) is also said to be the value of the propositional
function P at x.

• Once a value has been assigned to the variable x, the

statement P(x) becomes a proposition and has a truth
value.
Q: Let P(x) denote the statement “x > 3.” What are the truth values
of P(4) and P(2)?

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Predicates : Some Example

Example 1
Let Q(x, y) denote the statement “x = y + 3.” What are the truth
values of the propositions Q(1, 2)and Q(3, 0)?

Example 3

Let R(x, y, z) denote the statement “x + y = z.” What are the truth
values of the propositions R(1,2,3) and R(0,0,1)?

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Quantifiers
What is it?
Quantification is a way to create a proposition from a
propositional function (predicate).
Quantification expresses the extent to which a
predicate is true over a range of elements.

• English words all, some, many, none, and few are used in
quantifications.

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Quantifiers : Types

• THE UNIVERSAL QUANTIFIER

• THE EXISTENTIAL
QUANTIFIER

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The Universal Quantifier

Definition

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The Universal Quantifier : True/False?

Stateme When True? When False?

nt
∀x P(x) P(x) is true for every There is an x for which P(x) is
x false.
P(x) = “Student x knows C Domain : This Class!
programming.”

When true? If every student knows programming

When If a least one student does not know

false? 11
The Existential Quantifier

Definition

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The Existential Quantifier : True/False?

Statem When True? When False?

ent
∃x P(x) There is an x for which P(x) P(x) is false for every
is true. x.
P(x) = “Student x knows C Domain : This
programming.” Class!
When true? If at least one student knows programming
When If a every student does not know
false?
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Summarize

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Quantifiers : Example
Let Q(x) be the statement “x < 2.” What is the truth value of the
quantification ∀x Q(x), where the domain consists of all real numbers?

Solution : Q(x) is not true for every real number x, because, for
instance, Q(3) is false. That is, x = 3 is a counter example for the
statement ∀x Q(x). Thus ∀x Q(x) is false.

Let P(x) denote the statement “x > 3”. What is the truth value of the
quantification ∃x P (x), where the domain consists of all real numbers?

Solution : Because “ x > 3” is sometimes true—for instance, when x

= 4, the existential quantification of P(x), which is ∃x P(x), is true.

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Negating Quantified Expressions
P(x) = “Student x in your class has taken a course in calculus.”

• ∀x P(x) = “Every student in your class has taken a course in

calculus.”
• ∃x P(x) = “At least one student in this class has taken a course in
calculus.”
• ∀x P(x)
• ∃x P(x)
• ∀x P(x)
• ∃x P(x)
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Negating Quantified Expressions

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Applications Area

• Translating English Sentences

• System Specifications
• Boolean Searches
• Logic Puzzles
• Logic Circuits

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Translating English Sentences
Express the statement “Every student in this class has studied
calculus” using predicates and quantifiers.

• Rewrite: “For every student in this class, that student has studied
calculus.”
• Use variable x : “For every student x in this class, x has studied
calculus.”
• C(x), which is the statement “x has studied calculus.”
• ∀x C(x) [OK, if the domain for x consists of the students in the
class]

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Translating English Sentences
Express the statement “Every student in this class has studied
calculus” using predicates and quantifiers.

• “For every person x, if person x is a student in this class then x has

studied calculus.”
• If S(x) represents the statement that person x is in this class.
• ∀x (S(x) → C(x))

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Multivariable Predicates
M(X, Y) : X has emailed Y

• ∀X ∀Y M(X, Y)

• ∀X ∃Y M(X, Y)

• ∃X ∀Y M(X, Y)

• ∃X ∃Y M(X, Y)

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Multi Variable Quantifier Negation
M(X, Y) : X has emailed Y

• ∀X ∀Y M(X, Y) X ∃Y M(X, Y)

• ∀X ∃Y M(X, Y) X YM(X, Y)

• ∃X ∀Y M(X, Y) X Y M(X, Y)

• ∃X ∃Y M(X, Y) X Y M(X, Y)

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Multi Variable Quantifier Negation
De-Morgans Law
¬ ∀ 𝑥 ∀ 𝑦 𝑃 ( 𝑥 , 𝑦 ) ⋀Q ( x , y ) ≡∃ 𝑥 ∃ 𝑦 ¬𝑃(𝑥 , 𝑦)⋁ ¬𝑄(𝑥, 𝑦)

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END