Can you calculate the probability of a complex logic expression?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the calculation of the probability of a complex logical expression, specifically the expression ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D)). Participants explore the relationship between boolean algebra and probability theory, questioning the validity of combining these two frameworks. The scope includes theoretical considerations and mathematical reasoning.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Mathematical reasoning

Main Points Raised

  • One participant proposes that the expression simplifies to A + ~B + ~C + D using boolean algebra and questions whether D can be calculated given certain probabilities.
  • Another participant argues that without knowing the dependencies or conditional probabilities of A, B, C, and D, it is not possible to calculate p(D) from the provided information.
  • A later reply reiterates the simplification of the expression and discusses the implications of combining logic and probability, suggesting that D could be always true or dependent on the truth of other variables.
  • Some participants mention that the expression can be represented in different forms, such as using NAND or NOR, and explore the implications of these representations on the calculation of D.
  • One participant suggests that if (A ∨ ~B ∨ ~C) is true, then D's value may not affect the overall truth of the expression, but it must be true when (A ∨ ~B ∨ ~C) is false.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on whether D can be calculated from the given probabilities, with some asserting that it cannot without additional information about dependencies, while others explore potential scenarios where D's truth value might be inferred.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the need for clarity on the independence or mutual exclusivity of the probabilities involved, as well as the implications of using different logical representations.

yeet991only
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TL;DR
Any logical expression can be simplified to AND , NOT , OR. But these are same as intersection , negation and reunion in probability.
Suppose this expression : ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D))
This simplifies to : A + ~B + ~C + D , using boolean algebra.
Now suppose i know that this expression is true: p( ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D)) ) = 1;
and I also know that p(A) = 0.3 , p(B) = 0.99 , p(C) = 0.92 .
but the probability of the expression is actually: p(A ∪ ~B ∪~C ∪ D) = 1
So can you calculate D from that? (Normally you could, but the question is if combining logic and probability like this is valid).

Also clearly (C -> D) isnt the kind of arrow that you would use in a bayesian network or stuff, because it reduces to p( ~C or D) , but in graphs it is the bayes formula for such arrow : p(C | D) = p(D|C) * p(C) / p(D).
 
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yeet991only said:
TL;DR Summary: Any logical expression can be simplified to AND , NOT , OR. But these are same as intersection , negation and reunion in probability.

So can you calculate D from that?
No. From just the information given we don’t know if the probabilities of one are dependent on the others. Without knowing that they are independent or mutually exclusive or knowing their conditional probabilities, ##p(D)## cannot be calculated from the given information
 
yeet991only said:
TL;DR Summary: Any logical expression can be simplified to AND , NOT , OR. But these are same as intersection , negation and reunion in probability.

Suppose this expression : ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D))
This simplifies to : A + ~B + ~C + D , using boolean algebra.
Now suppose i know that this expression is true: p( ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D)) ) = 1;
and I also know that p(A) = 0.3 , p(B) = 0.99 , p(C) = 0.92 .
but the probability of the expression is actually: p(A ∪ ~B ∪~C ∪ D) = 1
So can you calculate D from that? (Normally you could, but the question is if combining logic and probability like this is valid).

Also clearly (C -> D) isnt the kind of arrow that you would use in a bayesian network or stuff, because it reduces to p( ~C or D) , but in graphs it is the bayes formula for such arrow : p(C | D) = p(D|C) * p(C) / p(D).
A related area is probabilistic logic programming https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Probabilistic_logic_programming
 
yeet991only said:
TL;DR Summary: Any logical expression can be simplified to AND , NOT , OR. But these are same as intersection , negation and reunion in probability.
Any logical expression can also be simplified to NAND only, NOR only, and if one allows ##c\to\text{false}##, also by implication only as ##c\to\text{false}## is NOT c.

yeet991only said:
Suppose this expression : ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D))
That expression can be write as ##((A\vee \neg B) \vee (\neg C \vee D))##, and now one can dispense with the parentheses, yielding ##(A\vee \neg B \vee \neg C \vee D)## -- and also ##((A \vee \neg B \vee \neg C) \vee D)##. I'll use that final form in just a bit.
yeet991only said:
Now suppose i know that this expression is true: p( ((A ∨ ~B) ∨ (C -> D)) ) = 1;
and I also know that p(A) = 0.3 , p(B) = 0.99 , p(C) = 0.92 .
but the probability of the expression is actually: p(A ∪ ~B ∪~C ∪ D) = 1
So can you calculate D from that? (Normally you could, but the question is if combining logic and probability like this is valid).
One obvious solution is that D is always true, in which case P(D) = 1. There are other solutions. Note that it doesn't matter what D is in the case that ##(A \vee \neg B \vee \neg C)## is true. However, we must have D being true whenever ##(A \vee \neg B \vee \neg C)## is false. Note that D always being true satisfies this requirement, but so does ##D = \neg(A \vee \neg B \vee \neg C) = (\neg A \wedge B \wedge C)##. Given the sited probabilities, that D is true (but not necessarily always true) seems quite likely.
 
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