Really a Question about Notation

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Atomised
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Homework Statement



Form negation and then either prove statement or negation:

[itex]\forall[/itex]y [itex]\in[/itex] {[itex]x | x \in Z, x>=1[/itex]}, [itex]5y^2+5y+1[/itex] is a prime number.

The Attempt at a Solution



Answer given:

[itex]\exists[/itex]y [itex]\in[/itex] {[itex]x | x \in Z, x>=1[/itex]} such that [itex]5y^2+5y+1[/itex] is not prime.

The negation is true, counterexample follows.

My question is why are [itex]x,y[/itex] mixed up?
 
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What do you mean why are [itex]x, y[/itex] mixed up?
 
Well, there exists y belonging to a set where the elements are defined by x...

Would it be valid to express it as there exists x belonging to a set where the elements are defined by x... or the above the preferred way of doing it?
 
The way I interpret it is like this:

Let [itex]X[/itex] be defined as the set of numbers [itex]\{x|x\in\mathbb{Z}, x\geq1\}[/itex].

Then:

[itex]\exists y \in X \text{ such that } 5y^2+5y+1 \text{ is not prime}[/itex]

This might make it clearer that the set is being defined by the dummy variable [itex]x[/itex]. It has no real purpose besides just being a dummy variable from what I can see.
 
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Very helpful thank you.
 
Atomised said:

Homework Statement



Form negation and then either prove statement or negation:

[itex]\forall[/itex]y [itex]\in[/itex] {[itex]x | x \in Z, x>=1[/itex]}, [itex]5y^2+5y+1[/itex] is a prime number.

The Attempt at a Solution



Answer given:

[itex]\exists[/itex]y [itex]\in[/itex] {[itex]x | x \in Z, x>=1[/itex]} such that [itex]5y^2+5y+1[/itex] is not prime.

The negation is true, counterexample follows.

My question is why are [itex]x,y[/itex] mixed up?

In plain English, the statement is: ##5 y^2 + 5y+1## is prime for any positive integer ##y##. Of course, as you have shown, the statement is false.
 
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