Assignment 1 (Propositional Logic)
1. What is the truth value of (p ∨ q) → (p ∧ q) when both p and q are false?
F→F
T
2. What are the converse and contrapositive of the statement “If it is sunny, then I will go swimming”?
p = “It is sunny”
q = “I will go swimming”
p → q = Original Compound Proposition = “If it is sunny, then I will go swimming”
¬q → ¬p = Contrapositive = “ If I do not go swimming, then it is not sunny”
q → p = Converse = “If I go swimming, then it is sunny”
3. Construct a truth table for each of these compound propositions.
a) (p ∨ q) ∨ r
p q p˅q r (p ˅ q) ˅ r
T T T T T
T F T T T
F T T T T
F F F T T
T T T F T
T F T F T
F T T F T
F F F F F
b) (p ∨ q) ∧ r
p q p˅q r (p ˅ q) ˄ r
T T T T T
T F T T T
F T T T T
F F F T F
T T T F F
T F T F F
F T T F F
F F F F F
c) (p ∧ q) ∨ r
p q p˄q r (p ˄ q) ˅ r
T T T T T
T F F T T
F T F T T
F F F T T
T T T F T
T F F F F
F T F F F
F F F F F
d) (p ∧ q) ∧ r
p q p˄q r (p ˄ q) ˄ r
T T T T T
T F F T F
F T F T F
F F F T F
T T T F F
T F F F F
F T F F F
F F F F F
e) (p ∨ q)∧￢r
P q p˅q r ¬r (p ˅ q) ˄ ¬r
T T T T F F
T F T T F F
F T T T F F
F F F T F F
T T T F T T
T F T F T T
F T T F T T
F F F F T F
f ) (p ∧ q)∨￢r
P q p˄q r ¬r (p ˄ q) ˅ ¬r
T T T T F T
T F F T F F
F T F T F F
F F F T F F
T T T F T T
T F F F T T
F T F F T T
F F F F T T
4.
¬p ˅ ¬q
¬(p ˅ (¬p ˄ q))
5. An ancient Sicilian legend says that the barber in a remote town who can be reached only by
traveling a dangerous mountain road shaves those people, and only those people, who do not shave
themselves. Can there be such a barber?
No.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lK5dWZZMfeo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymGt7I4Yn3k
It seems as though this problem matches the Miriam webster definition of a paradox:
“a self-contradictory statement that at first seems true”
Assuming this legend is based on the popular barber paradox which states that ONLY the barber is
allowed to shave and assumes that everyone in the town must be clean shaven
The following are true of this problem:
Given:
1. The barber shaves only those who cannot shave themselves.
2. Everyone in town must be clean shaven (including the barber).
Assumptions:
1. Everyone grows hair.
2. If someone can shave himself he cannot shave anyone else.
3. The barber is considered to be in the town even though people must travel a dangerous
mountain road to get to him.
p = Barber shaves person.
q = Person can shave himself.
Another way of putting this would also be:
p q ¬q p↔¬q
F T F T
T F T F
F F T T
T T F T
The problem arises when trying to determine who shaves the barber. Philosophy takes on the position
that everything can be rationalized. However, truth tables prove to be a rigid system of reasoning and
common sense proves itself in such cases as self referential paradoxes. This paradox is a self referential
paradox because it leads back to its starting point. If the barber shaves himself then he cannot shave
others. And if the barber does not shave himself then the whole town cannot be clean shaven. It is
either one or the other, not both.
6. Show that ¬ (p ∨ ¬q) and q ∧ ¬p are equivalent
(a) using a truth table.
p q ¬p ¬q p˅¬q ¬(p˅¬q) q˄¬p
T T F F T F F
T F F T T F F
F T T F F T T
F F T T T F F
(b) using logical equivalences.
¬(p ˅ ¬q) ≡ ¬p ˄ q De Morgan’s Laws
7. Determine whether each of these compound propositions is satisfiable.
a) (p ∨ q ∨￢r) ∧ (p ∨￢q ∨￢s) ∧ (p ∨￢r ∨￢s) ∧ (￢p ∨￢q ∨￢s) ∧ (p ∨ q ∨￢s)
(p ∨ q ∨￢r)
(p ∨￢q ∨￢s)
(p ∨￢r ∨￢s)
(￢p ∨￢q ∨￢s)
(p ∨ q ∨￢s)
In the case that p and q are true and ¬r and ¬s are false, the compound proposition is satisfiable.
b) (￢p ∨￢q ∨ r) ∧ (￢p ∨ q ∨￢s) ∧ (p ∨￢q ∨ ￢s) ∧ (￢p ∨￢r ∨￢s) ∧ (p ∨ q ∨￢r) ∧ (p ∨ ￢r
∨￢s)
T F
(￢p ∨￢q ∨ r) r ¬p, ¬q
(￢p ∨ q ∨￢s) q ¬p, ¬s
(p ∨￢q ∨ ￢s) p ¬q, ¬s
(￢p ∨￢r ∨￢s) ¬p, ¬r, ¬s
(p ∨ q ∨￢r) p, q ¬r
(p ∨ ￢r ∨￢s) p ¬r, ¬s
In the case that ¬p, q, r, and ¬s are true, the compound proposition is satisfiable.
8. Suppose that Q(x) is the statement “x + 1 = 2x.” What are the truth values of xQ(x) and xQ(x)?
Q(x) = (x + 1 = 2x)
x + 1 = 2x
1 = 2x – x
1=x
xQ(x) reads “for all x, x + 1 = 2x”. It claims that the statement is true for every possible value of x.
This statement is FALSE since x is only true when it is equal to 1.
xQ(x) reads “there exists an x such that “x + 1 = 2x”. We are claiming that there is at least one value of
x. This statement is TRUE since there is at least one value of x, 1.
