MATH 031

Mathematics in the Modern World

Lesson 3
Mathematical Language and Symbols
Mathematical Language

Systematic ways of
communicating by the use of
symbols

It has its own brand of

technical terminology (factor,
exponent, polynomial, etc.)
Mathematics is as much a language as it is a science. It deals with
written symbols that hold meaning and need to be interpreted.

Examples:

• “ Five added to two totals to seven ” is a functional sentence; it has a

subject, an object, and a thought. It also follows correct agreement of its
terms.
*This sentence can be expressed also in mathematics as the
expression “ 5 + 2 = 7 ”
 4. The number N
2. Two more than 3. Five less than
divided by D is
thrice a certain twice a certain
equal to Q and a
number. number.
remainder R.

2+3x 2x-5 N/D=Q + R/D

General Rules of Mathematics as a Language

The last rule is that it has

The first rule of
The second rule is that to be powerful, meaning
mathematics is that is
mathematics needs to be that it has to be able to
mathematics must be
concise. convey complex thoughts
precise.
with relative ease.
Logic Statement

In the English language, a sentence can be a

statement, a question, a command, or an
exclamation, such as the following examples.
a) There are many tourists in Cebu during
summer.

b) Where do you study?

c) Fill out the information sheet.

d) Yeah, I won!
Simple Statement
Examples:
In logic, a statement is a a) above is a declarative sentence and
declarative sentence it is a statement.
that expresses thought b) is a question and not a declarative
sentence, thus it is not a statement.
and can either be true or
c) is a command and not a declarative
false, but not both true sentence, thus it is not a statement.
and false. Statement is d) is an exclamation declaring one
also called a proposition. that he won, so it is a statement.
 Tell whether each sentence is a statement
or not.

1. Francisco Duque is the Health Secretary

of the Philippines.

2. Fall in line.

Examples: 3. Did you submit your project?

4. There will be no increase in the tuition

fee for this semester.

5. x < 7

6. 10y + 3
 1. statement

2. not a statement

3. not a statement
Answers
4. statement

5. statement

6. not a statement
Compound
Statement
The following are the connectives used with their
symbols and the type of statement.
 Given the following
simple statements.

p: Joselito Marquez is
an Engineer.

q: Joselito Marquez is a
Examples teacher.

r: Joselito Marquez is
not a singer.

s: Joselito Marquez
plays guitar .
Write the following compound statements in symbolic form.

1. Joselito Marquez is an Engineer or he is a teacher.

2. Joselito Marquez is an Engineer and he is not a singer.

3. If Joselito Marquez is a singer then he plays guitar.

4. Joselito Marquez plays guitar if and only if he is a singer.

5. Joselito Marquez is not a teacher but he does not play guitar.

Answers:

1. p  q

2. p  r

3. r → s

4. s  r

5. q  s
 Example

Given the following simple statements.

a: Today is Sunday.

b: I will attend a holy mass.

c: I will go to work.

d: Tomorrow is Monday.
Write the following symbolic statements in
words.

1. b  c

2. a  b

3. a → d

4. c  b
Answers:

1. I will attend a holy mass or I will go to

work.

2. Today is Sunday and I will attend a holy

mass.

3. If today is Sunday then tomorrow is

Monday.

4. I will not go to work if and only if I will

attend a hoy mass.
Write the following compound statements
in symbolic form. Use the letters p, q, and r
to represent the simple statements.

p: You study your lessons.

q: You pass the exam.

r: You will graduate.

1. If you don’t study your lessons and you

don’t pass the exam, then you will not
graduate.

2. You will graduate, if and only if you study

your lessons and pass the exam.
Answers:

1. ( p  q ) → r

2. r  ( p  q )
Write the following symbolic form of
statements in words. Use the following
simple statements.

p: Edmund plays football.

q: Edmund is a football player.

r: Edmund plays basketball.

s: Edmund does not play volleyball.

• 1. q  ( r  s )
• 2. q → ( p  s )
Answers

1. Edmund is a football player,

and he does not play basketball
or he does not play volleyball.

2. If Edmund is a football player,

then he plays football and not
volleyball.
Truth Table and Truth Value

A Truth Table is a table

showing the truth value of a
statement; simple or
compound.

The truth value of a simple statement is

either true ( T ) or false ( F ), while the
truth value of a compound statement
depends on the truth value of each
simple statements and the connectives.
The Negation Truth Table

The symbol (  ) denotes

negation of a statement.
Thus if a statement is
true ( T ) then its
negation is false ( F ), p p
and on the other hand,
if the statement is false(
T F
F ) then its negation is F T
true ( T ). The symbols
( - and  ) also denote
negation.
The Truth Table for Conjunction

The conjunction p  q
is true if both p and q
are true and false if p q pq
either p or q is false.
T T T
Truth Table for p  q F T F
T F F
F F F
The Truth Table for Disjunction

The disjunction p  q is
pq
true if p is true or q is
true or both p and q are P q
true
T T T
Truth Table for p  q
F T T
T F T
F F F
Example: Construct a truth
table for ( p  q )  q.
p q
Solution: T T
Step1: Truth table of the 2
simple statements T F
F T
F F
Step 2: Include the truth
values of p.
p q p
T T F
T F F
F T T
F F T
Step 3: Now use the
truth values of the p
p 
and q columns to get
p q p
the truth values of p
q
 q.

T T F T
T F F F
F T T T
F F T T
 Step 4: Now use the p  ( p  q )
P q p
truth values of the p  q q
q and q columns to get
the truth values of ( p T T F T T
 q )  q. T F F F F
F T T T T
F F T T F
Therefore, the truth values of ( p  q )  q is true when p and q
are true and when p is false and q is true, otherwise it is false.
 A tautology is a compound
statement that is always
true, regardless of the
truth values of the simple
statements that occur in it.
Tautology and
Contradiction
A contradiction is a
compound statement that
is always false.
 p q p p  q ( p  q )  p
T T F T T
Example: Show that
( p  q )  p is a tautology. T F F F T
Solution: F T T T T
The column for ( p  q )  p
F F T T T
on the right are all true,
therefore it is a tautology.
 Example p  q q  ( p  q )
p q q
Show that
q  ( p  q ) T T F F F
is a contradiction. T F T T F
F T F F F
F F T F F
Truth Table for Conditional statement can be
Conditional written if p then q or p→q in
p→q symbol. The p statement is called
the antecedent or hypothesis,
and the q statement is called the
consequent or conclusion.
Case 1. Antecedent True, Consequent
True:
If you will study for 3 hours today, you will
pass the exam tomorrow.
Since both the antecedent and
consequent are true, the statement is
true.

Case 2. Antecedent True, Consequent

False:
If you will study for 3 hours today, you will
not pass the exam tomorrow.
Since the antecedent is true and
consequent is false, the statement is false.
Case 3. Antecedent False, Consequent
True:
If you will not study for 3 hours today, you
will pass the exam tomorrow.
Since the statement does not tell what
might happen if you cannot study today,
the statement is considered true.
Case 4. Antecedent False, Consequent
False:
If you will not study for 3 hours today, you
will not pass the exam tomorrow.
Still the statement does not tell what
might happen if you cannot study today,
the statement is considered true.
Truth Table for the condition p→q
Equivalent Statements

Two compound statements p and q are equivalent if they

both have the same truth value for all possible truth
values of their simple statements. Symbolically, we write
pq or p  q.
Truth Table for p→q Truth Table for p  q
Truth Table for Biconditional
statement pq
 Practice Activity

Given the following simple statements.

a. The number ends with 5. b. The number ends with 0.
c. The number is divisible by 5. d. The number is odd.
A. Write the following symbolic statements in words.
1) a  d 2) c  d 3) b  d 4) c → ( d  a )
B. Write the following compound statements in symbolic form.
1. A number ends with 5 and the number is odd.
2. If a number ends with 0, then it is not odd.
3. If a number ends with 0 or 5, then it is divisible by 5.
4. A number is divisible by 5 if and only if it ends with 0 or 5.
 Answers:
A. Write the following symbolic statements in words.

1) ad
- The number ends with 5 or the number is odd.
2) c  d
- The number is divisible by 5 and the number is odd.
3) b  d
- The number ends with zero and the number is not odd.
4) c → ( d  a )
- If the number is divisible by 5, then the number is odd and ends
with 5.
B. Write the following compound
statements in symbolic form.

1. A number ends with 5 and the number is odd.

answer: a  d
2. If a number ends with 0, then it is not odd.
answer: b → d
3. If a number ends with 0 or 5, then it is divisible by 5.
answer: (b  a) → c
4. A number is divisible by 5 if and only if it ends with 0
or 5. answer: c  (a  b)
Construct the truth table of the
following:

p  p q  ( r  q ) (pq)(pq)
The truth table of p  p

p p p  p
T F T

F T T
The truth table of q  ( r  q )

q r q ( r  q ) q  ( r  q )
T T F F T
T F F F T
F T T T T
F F T F F
 The truth table of ( p  q )  (  p  q )

p q p (pq) (pq) (pq)(pq)

T T F T T T
T F F T F F
F T T T T T
F F T F T F
 The truth table of ( p  q )  (  r  q )
p q r r pq  r q (pq)(rq)

T T T

T T F

T F T

T F F

F T T

F T F

F F T

F F F
 Mathematics in the Modern World
by Engr. Rosalena and Engr. Siangco
Reference: