Is A equivalent to B in propositional calculus?

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Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the concept of equivalence in propositional calculus, specifically regarding whether two sets, A and B, can be considered equivalent. Participants explore the notation and implications of expressing this equivalence, as well as the underlying principles from set theory.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant seeks clarification on how to express the equivalence of sets A and B, questioning the validity of their initial statement.
  • Another participant suggests a direct approach using the notation "x ∈ A iff x ∈ B," but raises concerns that this only implies A is a subset of B.
  • A later reply questions the meaning of "equivalent," suggesting that equivalence requires a defined relation, such as equality or equinumerability.
  • One participant clarifies that they mean "equivalent under the relation of equality," asserting that A and B must share the same elements to be considered equal.
  • There is a reference to the axiom of extensionality from Zermelo-Fraenkel set theory, indicating that the "iff" statement is valid under certain interpretations.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants express differing views on the meaning of "equivalence" and the implications of the notation used. There is no consensus on the interpretation of equivalence in this context, and the discussion remains unresolved regarding the nuances of the definitions involved.

Contextual Notes

Participants highlight the importance of defining the relation under which equivalence is considered, indicating that assumptions about the nature of equivalence can significantly affect the validity of the statements made.

rustynail
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I am starting to learn propositional calculus and am trying to make sense of the notation. I am trying to express the idea that sets A and B are equivalent. I want to know if the following statement is true and if it shows three equally valid ways of saying that A and B are the same set.

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Thank you for your time. Any help and/or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.

Edit : Looking back at it, I think the first part does not imply that there are no elements of B that are not also in A. It does not eliminate the possibility that A is a subset of B. Should I write :

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?
 
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Maybe a more direct way would be : ## x \in A ## iff ## x \in B ##.
 
Bacle2 said:
Maybe a more direct way would be : ## x \in A ## iff ## x \in B ##.
Doesn't that only say that all elements of A are also elements of B, making A a subset of B, and not necessarily equivalent to B? Or does using ''iff'' imply that ## x \in B ## iff ## x \in A ## ?
Also, I understand that the way I put it isn't the most direct way of doing it, but I want to know if my usage of these symbols and operators makes sense.

Thank you for your time.
 
If you move the negations inside of
rustynail said:
gif.gif
?
you get the axiom of extensionality of Zermelo-Fraenkel. That is, this "iff" is valid.
But it is unclear what you mean by "equivalent". Equivalence requires a relation. Do you mean "equivalent under the relation of equality"? Then that "iff" would be (trivially) valid. But if you mean, say, equinumerability as your equivalence relation, then the implication only goes in one direction. So, what do you mean by "equivalent"?
 
nomadreid said:
If you move the negations inside of

you get the axiom of extensionality of Zermelo-Fraenkel. That is, this "iff" is valid.
But it is unclear what you mean by "equivalent". Equivalence requires a relation. Do you mean "equivalent under the relation of equality"? Then that "iff" would be (trivially) valid. But if you mean, say, equinumerability as your equivalence relation, then the implication only goes in one direction. So, what do you mean by "equ.ivalent"?

I mean ''equivalent under the relation of equality'' as in ''A and B are the same object''. Because A and B share not only the same cardinality, but also the same elements.
So if A = {p, q, r, t}, then B = {p, q, r, t} also, and thus A=B.

Edit : I'm currently looking at the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms. That's very helpful, thank you!
 
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