CSS510/ITC430

Discrete Structures
Lecture 2

Propositional logic

Propositional logic: review

Propositional logic: a formal language for making logical
inferences
A proposition is a statement that is either true or false.
A compound proposition can be created from other
propositions using logical connectives
The truth of a compound proposition is defined by truth
values of elementary propositions and the meaning of
connectives.
The truth table for a compound proposition: table with
entries (rows) for all possible combinations of truth values of
elementary propositions.
 Compound propositions
More complex propositional statements can be build from the
elementary statements using logical connectives.

Logical connectives:
Negation
Conjunction
Disjunction
Exclusive or
Implication
Biconditional

CS 441 Discrete mathematics for CS M. Hauskrecht

Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime
q: 6 is a prime
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p:
pq:
p q:
pq:
p q:
p q:
q p:
 Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p:
pq:
p q:
pq:
p q:
p q:
q p:

Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:
p q:
pq:
p q:
p q:
q p:
 Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:F
p q:
pq:
p q:
p q:
q p:

Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:F
p q: T
pq:
p q:
p q:
q p:
 Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:F
p q: T
pq:T
p q:
p q:
q p:

Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:F
p q: T
pq:T
p q: T
p q:
q p:
 Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:F
p q: T
pq:T
p q: T
p q: F
q p:

Compound propositions
Let p: 2 is a prime .. T
q: 6 is a prime .. F
Determine the truth value of the following statements:
p: F
pq:F
p q: T
pq:T
p q: T
p q: F
q p: T
 Implication
The converse of p q is q p.
The contrapositive of p q is q p
The inverse of .p q is p q

Examples:
If it snows, the traffic moves slowly.
p: it snows q: traffic moves slowly.
pq
The converse:
If the traffic moves slowly then it snows.
qp

Implication
The contrapositive of p q is q p
The inverse of .p q is p q

Examples:
If it snows, the traffic moves slowly.
The contrapositive:
If the traffic does not move slowly then it does not
snow.
q p
The inverse:
If does not snow the traffic moves quickly.
p q
 Biconditional
Definition: Let p and q be propositions. The biconditional
p q (read p if and only if q), is true when p and q have the
same truth values and is false otherwise.

p q pq
T T
T F
F T
F F

Note: two truth values always agree.

Biconditional
Definition: Let p and q be propositions. The biconditional
p q (read p if and only if q), is true when p and q have the
same truth values and is false otherwise.

p q pq
T T T
T F F
F T F
F F T

Note: two truth values always agree.

 Constructing the truth table
Examples: Construct the truth table for
(p q) (p q)

p q p pq p q (pq)
(pq)
T T
T F
F T
F F

Constructing the truth table

Examples: Construct a truth table for
(p q) (p q)

p q p pq p q (pq)
(pq)
T T F
T F F
F T T
F F T
 Constructing the truth table
Examples: Construct a truth table for
(p q) (p q)

p q p pq p q (pq)
(pq)
T T F T
T F F F
F T T T
F F T T

Constructing the truth table

Examples: Construct a truth table for
(p q) (p q)

p q p pq p q (pq)
(pq)
T T F T F
T F F F T
F T T T T
F F T T F
 Constructing the truth table
Examples: Construct a truth table for
(p q) (p q)

p q p pq p q (pq)
(pq)
T T F T F F
T F F F T F
F T T T T T
F F T T F F

Translation
Logic helps us to define the meaning of statements:
Mathematical or English statements.

How to translate an English sentence to the logic?

Assume a sentence:
If you are older than 13 or you are with your parents then
you can attend a PG-13 movie.

The whole sentence is a proposition. It is True.

But this is not the best. We want to parse the sentence to

elementary statements that are combined with connectives.
 Translation
If you are older than 13 or you are with your parents then you can
attend a PG-13 movie.
Parse:
If ( you are older than 13 or you are with your parents ) then
( you can attend a PG-13 movie)
A= you are older than 13
B= you are with your parents
C=you can attend a PG-13 movie
Translation: A B C

Why do we want to do this?

Inference: Assume I know that A B C is a correct
statement and both A and B are true. Then we can
conclude that C is true as well.

Translation
General rule for translation.
Look for patterns corresponding to logical connectives in
the sentence and use them to define elementary
propositions.
 Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph

Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph. ( p)
you drive over 65 mph, but you don't get a speeding
ticket.
 Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph. (p)
you drive over 65 mph, but you don't get a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you will get a speeding ticket if you drive over 65 mph.

Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph. (p)
you drive over 65 mph, but you don't get a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you will get a speeding ticket if you drive over 65 mph.
(p q)
if you do not drive over 65 mph then you will not get a
speeding ticket
 Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph. (p)
you drive over 65 mph, but you don't get a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you will get a speeding ticket if you drive over 65 mph.
(p q)
if you do not drive over 65 mph then you will not get a
speeding ticket. (p q)
driving over 65 mph is sufficient for getting a speeding
ticket.

Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph. (p)
you drive over 65 mph, but you don't get a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you will get a speeding ticket if you drive over 65 mph.
(p q)
if you do not drive over 65 mph then you will not get a
speeding ticket. (p q)
driving over 65 mph is sufficient for getting a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you get a speeding ticket, but you do not drive over 65
mph.
 Translation
Assume two elementary statements:
p: you drive over 65 mph and q: you get a speeding ticket
Translate each of these sentences to logic
you do not drive over 65 mph. (p)
you drive over 65 mph, but you don't get a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you will get a speeding ticket if you drive over 65 mph.
(p q)
if you do not drive over 65 mph then you will not get a
speeding ticket.(p q)
driving over 65 mph is sufficient for getting a speeding
ticket. (p q)
you get a speeding ticket, but you do not drive over 65
mph. (q p)

CS 441 Discrete mathematics for CS M. Hauskrecht

Computer representation of True and False

We need to encode two values True and False:

use a bit
a bit represents two possible values:
0 (False) or 1(True)

A variable that takes on values 0 or 1 is called a Boolean

variable.

Definition: A bit string is a sequence of zero or more bits.

The length of this string is the number of bits in the string.
 Bitwise operations
T and F replaced with 1 and 0
p q pq pq
1 1 1 1
1 0 1 0
0 1 1 0
0 0 0 0

p p
1 0
0 1

Bitwise operations
Examples:

1011 0011 1011 0011 1011 0011

0110 1010 0110 1010 0110 1010
 Bitwise operations
Examples:

1011 0011 1011 0011 1011 0011

0110 1010 0110 1010 0110 1010
1111 1011

Bitwise operations
Examples:

1011 0011 1011 0011 1011 0011

0110 1010 0110 1010 0110 1010
1111 1011 0010 0010
 Bitwise operations
Examples:

1011 0011 1011 0011 1011 0011

0110 1010 0110 1010 0110 1010
1111 1011 0010 0010 1101 1001