Conditional Propositions
Conditional Propositions
Sequence
Consider the statement
If the Mathematics Department gets and
additional $40,000, then it will hire
one new faculty member.
Definition 1. If p and q are propositions, the
proposition
if p then q
is called a conditional proposition and is
denoted by
p→q
Proposition p is called the
hypothesis(antecedent) and the proposition q
is called the conclusion (consequent).
Definition 2 The truth value of the
conditional proposition p→q is defined
by the following truth table:
p q p→q
T T T
T F F
F T T
F F T
1. (p۸q)→r 2. (p۷q)→¬r
3. p۸(q→r) 4. p→(q→r)
Example 3 Restate each proposition in
the form of a conditional proposition.
1. Mary will be a good student if she
studies hard.
Ans. If Mary Studies hard, then she
will be a good student.
2. John takes calculus only if he has
sophomore, junior, or senior standing.
Ans. If John takes calculus, then he
has sophomore, junior, or senior
standing.
3. When you sing, my ears hurt.
Ans. If you sing, then my ears hurt.
Example 3 Restate each proposition in
the form of a conditional proposition.