Propositional Logic

David Nyirenda

Malawi University of Science and Technology

March 2, 2024
Introduction

▶ Definition of Logic: Logic is the systematic study of the

principles of valid inference and reasoning.
▶ Definition of Proposition: A proposition is a declarative
sentence that is either true or false, but not both.
Statements

▶ Examples of Statements:
1. ”The sky is blue.”
2. ”2 + 2 = 4.”
Non-Statements

▶ Examples that are Not Statements:

1. Questions: ”How are you?”
2. Commands: ”Close the door.”
Logical Operations

▶ Negation: The negation of a proposition p is denoted as ¬p

and is true when p is false, and false when p is true.
▶ Conjunction (AND): The conjunction of propositions p and
q, denoted as p ∧ q, is true only when both p and q are true.
▶ Disjunction (OR): The disjunction of propositions p and q,
denoted as p ∨ q, is true when at least one of p or q is true.
▶ Conditional (IF...THEN): The conditional of propositions p
and q, denoted as p → q, is false only when p is true and q is
false.
▶ Biconditional (IF AND ONLY IF): The biconditional of
propositions p and q, denoted as p ↔ q, is true when both p
and q have the same truth value.
Truth Tables

p q p→q
p ¬p T T T
Negation T F Conditional T F F
F T F T T
p q p∧q F F T
T T T Biconditional
Conjunction T F F p q p↔q
F T F T T T
F F F T F F
F T F
p q p∨q
F F T
T T T
Disjunction T F T
F T T
F F F
Proving Tautologies and Contradictions

▶ Using Truth Tables

▶ Illustrate the process of proving with examples.
Logic Equivalences

▶ Listing Equivalences
▶ De Morgan’s Laws, Distributive Laws, etc.
▶ Truth Tables for Equivalences
▶ Show truth tables for selected equivalences.
Universal and Existential Quantifiers

▶ Definition and Examples

▶ Universal Quantifier (∀): ”For every x, P(x) is true.”
▶ Existential Quantifier (∃): ”There exists an x such that P(x)
is true.”
Negating Existential Quantifiers

▶ Techniques and Examples

▶ Explain the negation process with examples.
Exercises

1. Determine the truth value of ¬(P ∧ Q) when P is true and Q

is false.
2. Construct a truth table for the biconditional P ↔ (Q ∨ ¬P).
3. Prove the tautology (P → Q) ∨ (Q → P).
4. Identify whether the following is a statement: ”Is it raining?”
5. Show the negation of the existential statement: ”There exists
an even prime number.”
Conclusion

▶ Conclusion
▶ Covered definitions, logical operations, truth tables, proof
techniques, logic equivalences, and quantifiers.
▶ Emphasized the importance of precision in defining statements
and the role of logic in reasoning.
Author

David Nyirenda
Malawi University of Science and Technology