Laws of Algebra of Propositions

Below mentioned are the laws of Algebra of Propositions

Idempotent Law

  • p ∨ p ≅ p
  • p ∧ p ≅ p 

The truth table of conjunction and disjunction of a proposition with itself will equal the proposition.

Associative Law

  •     (p ∨ q) ∨ r ≅ p ∨ (q ∨ r)
  •     (p ∧ q) ∧ r ≅ p ∧ (q ∧ r)

Associative Law states that propositions also follow associativity and can be written as mentioned above.

Distributive Law

  •     p ∨ (q ∧  r) ≅ (p ∨ q) ∧ (p ∨ r)
  •     p ∧ (q ∨  r) ≅ (p ∧ q) ∨ (p ∧ r)

Distributive Law states that propositions also follow the distribution and can be written as mentioned above.

Commutative Law

  •      p ∨ q ≅ q ∨ p 
  •      p ∧ q ≅ q ∧ p

It states that propositions follow commutative property i.e if a=b then b=a

Identity Law

  •     p ∨ T ≅ T
  •     p ∨ F ≅ p
  •     p ∧ T ≅ p
  •     p ∧ F ≅ F

where T is a Tautology, F is a Contradiction and p is a proposition.

De Morgan’s Law

In propositional logic and boolean algebra, De Morgan’s laws are a pair of transformation rules that are both valid rules of inference. They are named after Augustus De Morgan, a 19th-century British mathematician. The rules allow the expression of conjunctions and disjunctions purely in terms of each other via negation. In formal language, the rules are written as –

  • [Tex]\neg (p\wedge q) \equiv \neg p \vee \neg q [/Tex]
  • [Tex]\neg (p\vee q) \equiv \neg p \wedge \neg q [/Tex]

Proof by Truth Table

[Tex]\begin{tabular}{ ||c||c||c||c||c||c||c||c||c||c|| } \hline p & q & \neg p & \neg q & p\wedge q & \neg p\vee \neg q & p\vee q & \neg p\wedge \neg q \\ \hline T & T & F & F & T & F & T & F \\ \hline T & F & F & T & F & T & T & F \\ \hline F & T & T & F & F & T & T & F \\ \hline F & F & T & T & F & T & F & T \\ \hline\end{tabular}[/Tex]

Involution Law

  •      ~~p ≅ p

Complement Law

  •      p ∨ ~p ≅ T 
  •      p ∧ ~p ≅ F
  •     ~T ≅ F
  •      ~F ≅ T

where T is a Tautology, F is a Contradiction and p is a proposition.

Propositional Logic – Set 2

This article explores fundamental laws and concepts in the algebra of propositions like Idempotent, Associative, Distributive, and Commutative Laws, as well as special conditional statements.

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Laws of Algebra of Propositions

Below mentioned are the laws of Algebra of Propositions...

Special Conditional Statements

As we know that we can form new propositions using existing propositions and logical connectives. New conditional statements can be formed starting with a conditional statement [Tex]p\rightarrow q     [/Tex]. In particular, there are three related conditional statements that occur so often that they have special names....

Implicit Use of Biconditionals

The last article, part one of this topic, ended with a discussion of bi-conditionals, what it is, and their truth table. In Natural Language bi-conditionals are not always explicit. In particular, the if construction (if and only if) is rarely used in the common language. Instead, bi-conditionals are often expressed using “if, then” or an “only if” construction. The other part of the “if and only if” is implicit, i.e. the converse is implied but not stated. For example consider the following statement, “If you complete your homework, then you can go out and play”. What is really meant is “You can go out and play if and only if you complete your homework”. This statement is logically equivalent to two statements, “If you complete your homework, then you can go out and play” and “You can go out and play only if you complete your homework”. Because of this imprecision in Natural Language, an assumption needs to be made whether a conditional statement in natural language includes its converse or not....

Precedence Order of Logical Connectives

Logical connectives are used to construct compound propositions by joining existing propositions. Although parenthesis can be used to specify the order in which the logical operators in the compound proposition need to be applied, there exists a precedence order in Logical Operators. The precedence Order is-...

Translating English Sentences

As mentioned above in this article, Natural Languages such as English are ambiguous i.e. a statement may have multiple interpretations. Therefore it is important to convert these sentences into mathematical expressions involving propositional variables and logical connectives. The above process of conversion may take certain reasonable assumptions about the intended meaning of the sentence. Once the sentences are translated into logical expressions they can be analyzed further to determine their truth values. Rules of Inference can then further be used to reason about the expressions....

Conclusion

In conclusion, this article describes about various laws of algebra of propositions, including Idempotent, Associative, Distributive, Commutative, Identity, De Morgan’s, and more. It also covers special conditional statements and the precedence order of logical connectives. Additionally, it emphasizes the importance of translating English sentences into mathematical expressions....

GATE CS Corner Questions

Practicing the following questions will help you test your knowledge. All questions have been asked in GATE in previous years or in GATE Mock Tests. It is highly recommended that you practice them....

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