Proofs Flashcards
(46 cards)
proposition
a statement that is either true or false
predicate
a proposition whose truth depends on the value of one or more variables
axiom
a proposition that is simply accepted as true
proof
a sequence of logical deductions from axioms and previously proved statements that concludes with the proposition in question
theorem
an important true proposition
lemma
a preliminary proposition useful for proving later propositions
corollary
a proposition that follows in just a few logical steps from a theorem
What is a proposition of the form “IF P, THEN Q” called?
implication
“IF P, THEN Q” is the general form of an implication and is often written as “P IMPLIES Q.” Thus, given specific P and Q, “P IMPLIES Q.” is itself a proposition and can be either true or false.
A fundamental inference rule says:
“P IMPLIES Q.”
___________
Q
What is this inference rule called?
Modus Ponens
What is the statement above the line of an implication called?
predicate
What is the statement below the line of an implication called?
the conclusion or the consequent
Proving a proposition’s contrapositive is as good as (and sometimes easier than) proving the proposition itself. Which of the following is logically equivalent to the contrapositive of “P IMPLIES Q.”
NOT(Q) IMPLIES NOT(P)
At the end of a proof, it is customary begin a proof with ___ and then to write down either the delimiter _____ or the symbol _____.
A proof should begin with “Proof by …” and end with “QED” or a square symbol
What is Proof by Contradiction
If an assertion implies something false, then the assertion itself must be false.
What is Proof by Cases?
Reasoning by cases breaks a complicated problem into easier subproblems
Based on the video and slides, when might we want to prove by cases?
Proof by cases might be used when:
(1) a complicated proof could be broken into cases
(2) where each case is simpler to prove and
(3) the cases together cover all possibilities
What is the well ordering principle?
Every nonempty set of nonnegative integers has a least element.
What is DeMorgan’s Law
When P and Q are true
NOT(P or Q) is equivalent to NOT(P) and NOT(Q)
How does Proof by Truth table work?
It verifies a proof by confirming you get the same truth value in all possible environments.
“valid” formula (or a tautology)
if and only if it’s true in all environments. No matter what you set the variables to, it’s going to come out to be true.
satisfiable formula
So a formula is satisfiable if and only if it’s true in some environment.
The equivalence of two propositional formulas could be proved by comparing their _____, notably the _____ column.
truth tables, final
A rule is _____ an assignment of truth values that makes all antecedents true the consequent is _____.
sound, valid
Godel’s Completeness Theorem
The good news theorem: you only need to know a few axioms & rules to prove all valid formulas (in theory; in practice, you need to know lot of rules on how to apply theorem)