Negation of propostitions with quantifiers

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around the negation of propositions involving quantifiers, specifically in the context of logical statements about men being soldiers and hungry. Participants are examining the formal representations of these statements and their negations, as well as the implications of these negations.

Discussion Character

  • Conceptual clarification, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • Participants are exploring the correct negations of propositions and questioning why certain statements are not suitable negations. They discuss the implications of negating true propositions and the relationship between truth values and logical statements.

Discussion Status

Some participants are seeking clarification on the meaning of negations and the conditions under which certain statements hold true. There is an exploration of the logical structure of statements and the nature of quantifiers, with some guidance provided on interpreting the implications of these logical forms.

Contextual Notes

Participants are working with formal logical expressions and are considering the definitions and implications of quantifiers in their discussions. There is an emphasis on understanding the nuances of logical negation and the conditions under which propositions can be true or false.

razored
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I need a little help deciphering my text. It says as follows :
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a) Some men are soldiers.
b) All men are hungry.

More formally these are stated :
a)[tex]\exists_{x} p[/tex], where x belongs to the set of men and p is the proposition : x is a soldier.
b)[tex]\forall_{x}[/tex],where x belongs to the set of men and q is the proposition : x is hungry.

The correct negations of the above propositions are:
a)All men are not soldiers, or: [tex]\forall_{x}[[/tex]~[tex]p][/tex]
b)Some men are not hungry, or: [tex]\exists_{x}[[/tex]~[tex]p][/tex]

You should examine carefully the reasons for rejecting the following statements as suitable negations.

a)Some men are not soldiers.
b)All men are not hungry.

Remember that the negation of a true proposition must be false.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They say that the negation of a true proposition must be false. Like " All men are hungry.(true)" then, "All men are not hungry.(false)" Why can't we use that? Its negation appears to be false. Can anyone give me a better explanation? Also, would a truth table help me here?
 
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razored said:
I need a little help deciphering my text. It says as follows :
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
a) Some men are soldiers.
b) All men are hungry.

More formally these are stated :
a)[tex]\exists_{x} p[/tex], where x belongs to the set of men and p is the proposition : x is a soldier.
b)[tex]\forall_{x}[/tex],where x belongs to the set of men and q is the proposition : x is hungry.

The correct negations of the above propositions are:
a)All men are not soldiers, or: [tex]\forall_{x}[[/tex]~[tex]p][/tex]
b)Some men are not hungry, or: [tex]\exists_{x}[[/tex]~[tex]p][/tex]

You should examine carefully the reasons for rejecting the following statements as suitable negations.

a)Some men are not soldiers.
It is quite possible that some men are soldiers and some men are NOT soldiers. Those can both be true.

b)All men are not hungry.
Saying "It is not true that all men are hungry" does NOT mean that NO men are hungry.

Remember that the negation of a true proposition must be false.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They say that the negation of a true proposition must be false. Like " All men are hungry.(true)" then, "All men are not hungry.(false)" Why can't we use that? Its negation appears to be false. Can anyone give me a better explanation? Also, would a truth table help me here?
Yes, it is true that the negation of a true proposition must be false. It does NOT follow that ANY false statement is the negation of a true proposition!
 
"Saying "It is not true that all men are hungry" does NOT mean that NO men are hungry."
This means that some men are hungry and some aren't?

Also, I need help deciphering this phrase :
--------------------------------------------------
[tex]\forall_{x1} \forall_{x2} [[/tex] If [tex]x_{1}[/tex] is congruent to [tex]x_{2}[/tex], the median of [tex]x_{1}[/tex] equals the median of [tex]x_{2}][/tex]

Negation :
[tex]\exists_{x1} \exists_{x2} [ x_{1}[/tex] and [tex]x_{2}[/tex] are congruent, and the median of [tex]x_{1}[/tex] does not equals the median of [tex]x_{2}[/tex]]

--------------------------------------------------
In the first statement, does it mean for ALL triangles X1 and X2, if they are congruent then the medians are equal ?

The second statement says for SOME triangles X1 and X2, if they are congruent, then the medians don't equal?

Thanks.
 
razored said:
"Saying "It is not true that all men are hungry" does NOT mean that NO men are hungry."
This means that some men are hungry and some aren't?

Also, I need help deciphering this phrase :
--------------------------------------------------
[tex]\forall_{x1} \forall_{x2} [[/tex] If [tex]x_{1}[/tex] is congruent to [tex]x_{2}[/tex], the median of [tex]x_{1}[/tex] equals the median of [tex]x_{2}][/tex]

Negation :
[tex]\exists_{x1} \exists_{x2} [ x_{1}[/tex] and [tex]x_{2}[/tex] are congruent, and the median of [tex]x_{1}[/tex] does not equals the median of [tex]x_{2}[/tex]]

--------------------------------------------------
In the first statement, does it mean for ALL triangles X1 and X2, if they are congruent then the medians are equal ?
Assuming we are given that X1 and X2 are triangles, yes, that is what it says.


The second statement says for SOME triangles X1 and X2, if they are congruent, then the medians don't equal?
It might be better to read it as "there exist at least one pair of triangles that are congruent but their medians are not equal" (of course, since the first statement is true, that statement is false).

Thanks.
 

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