What is the converse statement of the given sentence?

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In summary: I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry.You are right, I said smaller, but meant greater.... I don't know what I was thinking. Sorry.In summary, the conversation discussed the statement "For all real numbers there exists a natural number that is smaller", which can be rewritten as "If x is a real number, then there exists a natural number n that satisfies n>x." The group then discussed how to create a converse statement, which would be "If we can find a natural number n which is greater than a given number x, then x is real." The group also looked at examples of converse statements and how they differ from the original statement.
  • #1
Danijel
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The sentence is : "For all real numbers there exists a natural number that is smaller". That is (∀x∈R)(∃n∈N)n>x. This is what I thought of: we can write this sentence as:"If x is a real number, then there exists a natural number n that satisfies n>x." So how would I make a converse statement? Would it be:"If there exists a natural number n bigger than some number x, then every single x is real"?
 
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  • #2
Danijel said:
The sentence is : "For all real numbers there exists a natural number that is smaller". That is (∀x∈R)(∃n∈N)n>x. This is what I thought of: we can write this sentence as:"If x is a real number, then there exists a natural number n that satisfies n>x." So how would I make a converse statement? Would it be:"If there exists a natural number n bigger than some number x, then every single x is real"?
The "if" that you inserted isn't necessary and complicates it. In general you transform each ##\forall \longleftrightarrow \exists## and negate the statement. Thus we get ##(\exists x \in \mathbb{R}) (\forall n \in \mathbb{N})\, : \, n \leq x\,##.
 
  • #3
fresh_42 said:
The "if" that you inserted isn't necessary and complicates it. In general you transform each ##\forall \longleftrightarrow \exists## and negate the statement. Thus we get ##(\exists x \in \mathbb{R}) (\forall n \in \mathbb{N})\, : \, n \leq x\,##.
But isn't that exactly the negation of the statement, not the converse? I am interested in "if Q, then P" if the given statement is "If P, then Q", even though this statement isn't in the if - then form. Sorry if I didn't understand you.
 
  • #4
First sorry, for not understanding you. Yes, it was the negation. The statement says: If ##x## is a real number, then we can find a natural number ##n > x##. The conversion is a bit strange: If we can find a natural number ##n## which is greater than a given number ##x##, then ##x## is real. This is because ##\in \mathbb{R}## is the only statement on the left. But a nice example on how to get a completely different statement by simply turning the direction of conclusion. A method which is often used by politicians.
 
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  • #5
I would take the converse to be the second part of an iff.

Here you have: If x has property P, then x has property Q."

The converse of this is: If x has property Q, then x has property P.
 
  • #6
PeroK said:
I would take the converse to be the second part of an iff.

Here you have: If x has property P, then x has property Q."

The converse of this is: If x has property Q, then x has property P.
Hmmm, but here we have another variable n that that also has some property... How to include this? Sorry if I don't understand.
 
  • #7
Danijel said:
Hmmm, but here we have another variable n that that also has some property... How to include this? Sorry if I don't understand.
This is due to the fact, that we don't have a real conclusion. We have a statement here, that a certain set is not empty.
 
  • #8
Danijel said:
Hmmm, but here we have another variable n that that also has some property... How to include this? Sorry if I don't understand.

If it's Friday, X goes to the big cinema.

Converse:

If X goes to the big cinema, then it's Friday.

The converse would not involve changing the "big" cinema to the "small" cinema here.
 
  • #9
PeroK said:
If it's Friday, X goes to the big cinema.

Converse:

If X goes to the big cinema, then it's Friday.

The converse would not involve changing the "big" cinema to the "small" cinema here.
PeroK said:
If it's Friday, X goes to the big cinema.

Converse:

If X goes to the big cinema, then it's Friday.

The converse would not involve changing the "big" cinema to the "small" cinema here.
Right, so "exists" stays with the n and "all" stays with x, they don't swap places? Thank you anyway.
 
  • #10
Danijel said:
Right, so "exists" stays with the n and "all" stays with x, they don't swap places? Thank you anyway.
The converse of: "All logicians are nerds" is "All nerds are logicians.".
 
  • #11
Danijel said:
The sentence is : "For all real numbers there exists a natural number that is smaller".
Is that supposed to be "smaller"? That is (a) wrong and (b) not what the rest of the thread uses.
 
  • #12
mfb said:
Is that supposed to be "smaller"? That is (a) wrong and (b) not what the rest of the thread uses.
What I meant by smaller is n<x. English is not my mother tongue and I am probably not using words the way they are supposed to be used.
 
  • #13
Danijel said:
What I meant by smaller is n<x. English is not my mother tongue and I am probably not using words the way they are supposed to be used.

From your posts on this thread it is difficult to find anything that gives you away as a non-native speaker.
 
  • #14
PeroK said:
From your posts on this thread it is difficult to find anything that gives you away as a non-native speaker.
Not sure if a compliment or a reference that I do not really understand the subject.
 
  • #15
Danijel said:
Not sure if a compliment or a reference that I do not really understand the subject.
It was meant as a compliment.
 
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  • #16
PeroK said:
It was meant as a compliment.
Thank you. :)
 
  • #17
Danijel said:
What I meant by smaller is n<x
Well, you used n>x in your post, that lead to my question.
Danijel said:
The sentence is : "For all real numbers there exists a natural number that is smaller". That is (∀x∈R)(∃n∈N)n>x. This is what I thought of: we can write this sentence as:"If x is a real number, then there exists a natural number n that satisfies n>x." So how would I make a converse statement?
 
  • #18
mfb said:
Well, you used n>x in your post, that lead to my question.
You are right, I said smaller, but meant greater. Sorry.
 

1. What is the definition of the converse statement?

The converse statement of a given sentence is formed by switching the hypothesis and the conclusion of the original statement. This means that if the original statement is "If A, then B", the converse statement would be "If B, then A".

2. How is the converse statement related to the original statement?

The converse statement is a way of expressing the same logical relationship between two statements, but in reverse order. It is often used to test the validity of a statement, as a true statement will have a true converse statement.

3. Can the converse statement of a given sentence be true if the original statement is false?

No, the converse statement can only be true if the original statement is true. If the original statement is false, it does not necessarily mean that the converse statement is false, but it cannot be proven to be true.

4. How can the converse statement be used in mathematical proofs?

In mathematical proofs, the converse statement can be used to prove the validity of a statement. If the converse statement is also true, it can be used as evidence to support the original statement. However, the converse statement alone cannot be used as proof of the original statement.

5. Are there any exceptions to the rule of forming a converse statement?

Yes, there are some statements where the converse statement is not equivalent to the original statement. These are known as "biconditional" statements, where the converse statement is also true. An example of this is "A square has four equal sides" and "A figure with four equal sides is a square". In this case, both the original statement and the converse statement are true.

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