How Do You Prove De Morgan's Law for Union and Complement?

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Homework Help Overview

The discussion revolves around proving De Morgan's Laws, specifically the law stating that the complement of the union of two sets is equal to the intersection of their complements, expressed as (A U B)' = A' n B'. Participants are exploring logical reasoning and set theory concepts related to this proof.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory, Conceptual clarification, Mathematical reasoning, Assumption checking

Approaches and Questions Raised

  • One participant attempts to demonstrate the proof by manipulating set membership and logical statements, expressing confusion about the validity of their reasoning. Others question the use of De Morgan's Law within the proof itself and suggest that it leads to circular reasoning. There is also a discussion about the necessity of starting from axioms in mathematical logic to establish the proof.

Discussion Status

The discussion is ongoing, with participants providing feedback on each other's reasoning. Some guidance has been offered regarding the need to avoid circular logic and to clarify the foundational principles of mathematical logic. Multiple interpretations of the proof process are being explored, but no consensus has been reached.

Contextual Notes

Participants express frustration with the proving process, indicating that they find the concepts to be obvious yet confusing. There is a mention of constraints related to the use of logical principles and axioms in the proof.

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Homework Statement



Prove De Morgan's Laws (only (A U B)' = A' n B' part)

Homework Equations



(A U B)' = A' n B'

The Attempt at a Solution



I used this
x does not belong to (A U B)
x belongs to A' and B'
x belongs to A' n B'

now opposite

x belongs to A' n B'
x belogns to A' and B'
x does not belong to A and B

and that's it.
how can this x does not belong to A and B can be changed into
x does not belong to (A U B)' ?

all these proving things are confusing..they are too obvious and that's why i can not do this properly how silly..
Any tips that can be used when solving this kind of questions?

Thankyou!
 
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(x \in A' \cap B') \Rightarrow \neg(x \in A)\wedge \neg (x \in B) = \neg[ (x \in A) \vee (x \in B) ] \Rightarrow (x \in (A \cup B)')

Does that make sense?
 
@dx - you are using demorgans law to prove demorgans law...

You used that form of the law that applies to mathematical logic, to get the same law in a different form in set theory..

So that proof is void
 
@dx - you are using demorgans law to prove demorgans law...

You used that form of the law that applies to mathematical logic, to get the same law in a different form in set theory..

So that proof is void
 
How can you prove anything if you're not allowed to use logic?
 
you can use logic. What i was talking about was a branch of mathematics - mathematical logic. You have to start from the axioms and prove the law that u have used in your proof. Start from the axioms of 'Mathematical Logic', and use those to prove it. It can be proved, but u must do it. Once that is done, rest follows

What you have done is use DeMorgan's Law in ML to prove the same in set theory. That is where u are wrong.
 
you can use logic. What i was talking about was a branch of mathematics - mathematical logic. You have to start from the axioms and prove the law that u have used in your proof. Start from the axioms of 'Mathematical Logic', and use those to prove it. It can be proved, but u must do it. Once that is done, rest follows

What you have done is use DeMorgan's Law in ML to prove the same in set theory. That is where u are wrong.
 
what is this \neg stand for?
 
385sk117 said:

Homework Statement



Prove De Morgan's Laws (only (A U B)' = A' n B' part)

Homework Equations



(A U B)' = A' n B'

The Attempt at a Solution



I used this
x does not belong to (A U B)
x belongs to A' and B'
x belongs to A' n B'
Very good but more precisely: "Let x belong to (A U B)'. Then x does not belong to A U B and so is not in A and is not in B. Therefore x is in A' and x is in B'. Then x is in A' n B'.

now opposite

x belongs to A' n B'
x belogns to A' and B'
x does not belong to A and B
Let x be in A' n B'. Then x is in A' and in B'. Since x is in A', x is not in A. Since x is in B', x is not in B. If x were in A U B, it would have to be in either A or B. Since it is not, it is not in A U B and so is in A' U B'.

and that's it.
how can this x does not belong to A and B can be changed into
x does not belong to (A U B)' ?

all these proving things are confusing..they are too obvious and that's why i can not do this properly how silly..
Any tips that can be used when solving this kind of questions?

Thankyou!
 
Last edited by a moderator:

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