Propositional Logic Homework Check: Proving B's Guilt

AI Thread Summary
The discussion revolves around a homework problem in propositional logic, where the goal is to deduce B's guilt based on several premises. The premises involve relationships between A and B, their actions, and conditions surrounding an incident. The participant attempts to formalize the statements using logical symbols and expresses uncertainty about whether to prove or disprove B's guilt. They conclude that the premises T (it rained) and U (the teacher slept) are irrelevant to the deduction. The final reduction of the premises suggests a more focused approach to proving B's guilt.
TheFurryGoat
Messages
41
Reaction score
0

Homework Statement



Either A or B (names changed) stole the exam answers. Formalize these and check if this is a correct deduction:
1) If A didn't meet B for lunch, then B is guilty or A lives in the countryside
2) If B isn't guilty, then A didn't meet B for lunch and the incident happened after dinner
3) If it happened after dinner, then B is guilty, or A lives in the countryside
4) It rained in the evening, and the teacher slept sound asleep
5) And so, B is guilty

The Attempt at a Solution



"A met B for lunch" = P
"B is guilty" = Q
"A lives in the countryside" = R
"it happened after dinner" = S
"It rained in the evening" = T
"the teacher slept sound asleep" = U

Not actually sure but am I supposed to prove or disprove this? :

P \rightarrow Q \vee R, \neg Q \rightarrow \neg P \wedge S, S \rightarrow Q \vee R, T \wedge U \models Q
 
Physics news on Phys.org
Yep, that looks about right.

Actually, T and U sound completely irrelevant, and you can probably reduce it to
<br /> \{ P \rightarrow Q \vee R, \neg Q \rightarrow \neg P \wedge S, S \rightarrow Q \vee R \} \models Q <br />
 
I tried to combine those 2 formulas but it didn't work. I tried using another case where there are 2 red balls and 2 blue balls only so when combining the formula I got ##\frac{(4-1)!}{2!2!}=\frac{3}{2}## which does not make sense. Is there any formula to calculate cyclic permutation of identical objects or I have to do it by listing all the possibilities? Thanks
Since ##px^9+q## is the factor, then ##x^9=\frac{-q}{p}## will be one of the roots. Let ##f(x)=27x^{18}+bx^9+70##, then: $$27\left(\frac{-q}{p}\right)^2+b\left(\frac{-q}{p}\right)+70=0$$ $$b=27 \frac{q}{p}+70 \frac{p}{q}$$ $$b=\frac{27q^2+70p^2}{pq}$$ From this expression, it looks like there is no greatest value of ##b## because increasing the value of ##p## and ##q## will also increase the value of ##b##. How to find the greatest value of ##b##? Thanks

Similar threads

Back
Top