Logical Quantifiers: For all such that

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around negating a statement involving logical quantifiers, specifically the universal quantifier in the context of a function defined over a certain interval. The original problem asks for the negation of the statement "For all x such that 0 < x < 1, f(x) < 2 or f(x) > 5."

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants explore the correct negation of universal quantifiers and discuss the implications of the statement's structure, particularly the phrase "for all x such that...". There are attempts to clarify the notation and the conditions under which the quantifiers operate.

Discussion Status

Some participants have provided guidance on the correct form of the negation and the importance of specifying the domain of x. There is an ongoing exploration of how to express the negation accurately, with some suggestions for simplifying the expressions involved.

Contextual Notes

There is a noted confusion regarding the proper use of quantifiers and the notation involved in defining the set of x. Participants are considering the implications of the interval (0,1) and how it affects the negation process.

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Homework Statement



Negate the following statement:
For all x such that 0 < x < 1, f(x) <2 or f(x) > 5.


Homework Equations



I understand the universal quantifier is used as, "For all x, p(x)."
and the existential quantifier is used as, "There exists x such that p(x)."

I understand how to negate these alone; however, in this problem I am confused by "For all x such that..."


The Attempt at a Solution



Symbolic Statement:
\forall x \ni 0 < x < 1, f(x) < 2 or f(x) > 5.



Negation 1:

\exists x \ni 0 < x < 1, [f(x) = 2 or f(x) > 2] and [f(x) = 5 or f(x) < 5].


Negation 2:

\exists x \forall [x = 0 or x < 0] and [x = 1 or x > 1], [f(x) = 2 or f(x) > 2] and [f(x) = 5 or f(x) < 5].
 
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So, how would you negate "For all x, p(x)."?
 
Statement: For all x, p(x).

Negation: There exists an x such that ~p(x).
 
mliuzzolino said:

Homework Statement



Negate the following statement:
For all x such that 0 < x < 1, f(x) <2 or f(x) > 5.


Homework Equations



I understand the universal quantifier is used as, "For all x, p(x)."
and the existential quantifier is used as, "There exists x such that p(x)."

I understand how to negate these alone; however, in this problem I am confused by "For all x such that..."

In strict technicality, you don't introduce an object without saying what it is. Thus you should never have "for all x" but "for all x in X". The negation of "for all x in X, P(x)" is "there exists x in X such that not P(x)".

In your example, assuming x is supposed to be real, [itex]x \in X = \{y \in \mathbb{R}: 0 < y < 1\}[/itex] which in interval notation is [itex]x \in (0,1)[/itex].

The Attempt at a Solution



Symbolic Statement:
\forall x \ni 0 < x < 1, f(x) < 2 or f(x) > 5.

Negation 1:

\exists x \ni 0 < x < 1, [f(x) = 2 or f(x) > 2] and [f(x) = 5 or f(x) < 5].

You need "x \in (0,1)" instead of "\ni 0 < x < 1", but otherwise this is correct. You can however simplify "[f(x) = 2 or f(x) > 2] and [f(x) = 5 or f(x) < 5]" to "[itex]2 \leq f(x) \leq 5[/itex]".
 
Thanks pasmith!

That cleared up a lot for me. Much appreciated!
 
To answer your specific question, the negation of "for all x, P(x)" is "there exist x such that NOT P(x)"
 

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