Is A equivalent to B in propositional calculus?

  • Context: Undergrad 
  • Thread starter Thread starter rustynail
  • Start date Start date
Click For Summary
SUMMARY

The discussion centers on the equivalence of sets A and B in propositional calculus, specifically under the relation of equality. The user seeks clarification on the notation and implications of the statement "x ∈ A iff x ∈ B," questioning whether this indicates that A is a subset of B or if it establishes true equivalence. The conversation highlights the importance of defining equivalence relations, particularly in the context of the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms, which reinforce that A and B must share both cardinality and elements to be considered equivalent.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of propositional calculus notation
  • Familiarity with set theory concepts, particularly subsets and equivalence relations
  • Knowledge of the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms
  • Basic grasp of logical implications and the "iff" operator
NEXT STEPS
  • Study the Zermelo-Fraenkel axioms in detail
  • Learn about equivalence relations in set theory
  • Explore the concept of cardinality and its implications for set equivalence
  • Investigate the use of logical operators in mathematical proofs
USEFUL FOR

Students of mathematics, particularly those studying set theory and propositional calculus, as well as educators seeking to clarify concepts of set equivalence and logical notation.

rustynail
Messages
53
Reaction score
0
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.

gif.gif


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 :

gif.gif


?
 
Last edited:
Physics news on Phys.org
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!
 
Last edited:

Similar threads

  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 3 ·
Replies
3
Views
2K
  • · Replies 15 ·
Replies
15
Views
2K
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
  • · Replies 20 ·
Replies
20
Views
2K
  • · Replies 14 ·
Replies
14
Views
2K
  • · Replies 29 ·
Replies
29
Views
4K
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
2K