Saturday, September 14, 2013

Assignment 4: Question 5

(See assignment).

Question: Provide an analogous logical argument to show that not(A and B) and (not A) or (not B) are equivalent.

7 comments:

  1. ¬(Φ ⋁ Ψ) and (¬Φ) ⋀ (¬Ψ) are equivalent
    1. Φ ⋁ Ψ means that at least one of Φ and Ψ are true
    2. Thus ¬(Φ ⋁ Ψ) means that it is not the case that at least one of Φ and Ψ is true.
    3. If it is not the case that at least one of Φ and Ψ are true, then they are both false.
    4. This is clearly the same thing as saying that both ¬Φ and ¬Ψ are true.
    5. By the meaning of and, this can be expressed as (¬Φ) ⋀ (¬Ψ).

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks good to me. According to grading rubric you also need a concluding statement.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good point, Susan! I hadn't attempted the problem set when I did this, and hadn't made the connection. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I started working on this from the point of:

    1. Φ ⋁ Ψ means not both Φ and Ψ are false.
    2. Thus, ¬(Φ ⋁ Ψ) means that it is not the case that both Φ and Ψ are false.
    3. If not both Φ and Ψ are false, then by negation both Φ and Ψ are true.
    4. By the meaning of "and," ¬Φ and ¬Ψ is true because both both Φ and Ψ are true.
    5. Therefore, ¬(Φ ⋁ Ψ) and (¬Φ) ⋀ (¬Ψ) are equivalent.

    I'm not sure this is a valid proof, however. I like Max's better. What do others think?

    ReplyDelete
  5. Oops! Maybe Step 4 should be, "... because both ¬Φ and ¬Ψ (step 4) are true."

    See why I don't like it? :-p

    Can anyone make it clearer starting with Φ and Ψ both false?

    ReplyDelete
  6. I started that way, too, and abandoned it.

    Note that in your step three, you have "both Φ and Ψ are true" but in step four you state, " ¬Φ and ¬Ψ is true because both both Φ and Ψ are true."

    In order for "¬Φ and ¬Ψ" to be true, both Φ and Ψ must be false.

    I'm ashamed to admit it, but I spent nearly an hour to come up with what I did. It's so obvious on the face of it, but getting it all laid out was trickier than I thought it would be.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No wonder I couldn't make any headway. I had my own tautology.

      I spent a lot of time on it, too. I remember doing these as a sophomore in high school math, but clearly I didn't remember HOW to do them.

      Thanks, Max.

      Delete