COLLEGE OF COMPUTER

STUDIES
PREPARED BY: P. FERNANDEZ
 Discrete Structures
LESSON 10 – RELATIONAL PREDICATES AND
OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS ( CO N T I N U AT I O N )
RELATIONAL PREDICATES AND OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
 So far we’ve only considered sentencesthat involve, at
most, one quantifier.
 However, as noted, in addition to one-place predicates, which
ascribe properties to individuals, we also have predicates
that assign relations to individuals in pairs, triples, and
so on.
 Where singular statements in which such predicates figure,
those that don’t involve quantifiers, are no problem:
RELATIONAL PREDICATES AND OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
 Plato had a teacher (∃x)Txp
There exists an x, such that xwas the teacher of Plato
 Anthony loved someone (∃x)Lax
There exists an x, such that Anthony loved x
 Thomas preferred someone to Plato (∃x)Ptxp
There exists an x, such that Thomas preferred x to Plato
RELATIONAL PREDICATES AND OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
Some such sentences involve the universal quantifier:
 Aristotle knew everything (∀x)Kax
For all x, Aristotle knew x
 Everyone loved Cleopatra (∀x)Lxc
For all x, x loved Cleopatra
 Everyone prefers Russell to Hegel (∀x)Pxrh
For all x, x prefers Russell to Hegel
OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
 Remember that variables are like pronouns in that their
meaning is incomplete. Suppose M is the predicate ‘__is
material’.
 Mx just says ‘it’s material’ and that doesn’t tell you
anything—or have truth value.
 What’s material? Something? Everything?
 Variables get their meaning by working in tandem with
quantifiers, which ‘bind’ them:
OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
 Everything is material (∀x)Mx
 Somethings are material (∃x)Mx
OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
 Quantifiers bind only thosevariables thatare within their
scope.
 And when two or more quantifiers havethe same
scope we have to be careful about which quantifier
bindswhich variable.
OVERLAPPING QUANTIFIERS
 Everybody loves somebody or other. (x)(∃y)Lxy:
o for all x, there exists a y such that x loves y
 Everybody is loved by somebody or other. (x)(∃y)Lyx:
o for all x, there exists a y such that y loves x
 There’ssomebody who loves everybody. (∃x)(y)Lxy:
o there exists an x such that for all y, x loves y
 There’ssomebody who everybody loves. (∃x)(y)Lxy:
o there exists an x such that for all y, x loves y
EXERCISES:
Translate the following sentences
Example:
1. Some dragon is sleeping Sue kissed every man
2. No dragon is sleeping ∀x (MAN(x) →KISS(x,s))
3. Every dragon is sleeping
4. Not every dragon is sleeping
5. Some green dragon is sleeping
6. No green dragon is sleeping
7. Every green dragon is sleeping
8. Not every green dragon is sleeping
EXERCISES:
9. Some dragon is sleeping and twitching
10. No dragon is sleeping and twitching
11. Every dragon is sleeping and twitching
12. Not every dragon is sleeping and twitching
13. Some man kissed Sue
14. Every man kissed Sue
15. Sue kissed some man
Answers
1. Some dragon is sleeping
∃x (D(x) ∧S(x))
2. No dragon is sleeping
¬ ∀x (D(x) ∧S(x))
3. Every dragon is sleeping
∀x (D(x) →S(x))
4. Not every dragon is sleeping
¬∀x (D(x) →S(x))
Answers
5. Some green dragon is sleeping
∃x ((G(x) ∧ D(x)) ∧S(x))
6. No green dragon is sleeping
¬ ∀x ((G(x) ∧ D(x)) ∧S(x))
7. Every green dragon is sleeping
∀x ((G(x) ∧ D(x)) →S(x))
8. Not every green dragon is sleeping
¬∀x ((G(x) ∧ D(x)) →S(x))
Answers
9. Some dragon is sleeping and twitching
∃x [D(x) ∧ (S(x) ∧T(x))]
10. No dragon is sleeping and twitching
¬ ∀x [D(x) ∧ (S(x) ∧T(x))]
11. Every dragon is sleeping and twitching
∀x [D(x) → (S(x) ∧T(x))]
12. Not every dragon is sleeping and twitching
¬∀x [D(x) → (S(x) ∧T(x))]
Answers
13. Some man kissed Sue
∃x ( MAN(x) ∧KISS(x, s))
14. Every man kissed Sue
∀x ( MAN(x) →KISS(x, s))
15. Sue kissed some man
∃x (MAN(x) ∧KISS(s, x))