CSCI 2824 - Discrete Structures

Homework 1

May 31, 2020

• Please write your solutions neatly and in an organized manner on a separate sheet of paper and submit
as a pdf to canvas.
• Do not include scratch work with you solutions. Include the solution and work leading to it only.
This is to make grading a bit easier. We have a lot of papers to go through so please do not include
“dead-ends”. When in doubt, feel free to ask.

• Writing should be plainly legible. If there is any question about what something says the problem will
be marked incorrect.
• You may typeset homework using LaTeX if you would like. Please see canvas for information on how
to do this.

• Obviously, please include all work that leads to your solution. The answer to the problem is not enough
for most of the course. The proof or process that lead you to an answer is also part of your solution.
We will discuss this a bit more in class.
• If you have questions about homework please ask them before the end of the class-week. Questions
may not always be answered on weekends. This means that you will need to begin the homework
during the week.

1
Day 1 - Propositional Logic
1. Let p, q, and r be the propositions
p : You have the flu.
q : You miss the final examination.
r : You pass the course.
Express each of these propositions as an English
sentence.
a) p → q
b) ¬q ↔ r
c) q → ¬r
d) p ∨ q ∨ r
e) (p → ¬r) ∨ (q → ¬r)
f) (p ∧ q) ∨ (¬q ∧ r)
2. Let p and q be the propositions
p : You drive over 65 miles per hour
q : You get a speeding ticket
Write these propositions using p and q and log-
ical conectives (including negations).
a) You do not drive over 65 miles per hour.
b) You drive over 65 miles per hour, but you
do not get a speeding ticket.
c) You will get a speeding ticket if you drive
over 65 miles per hour.
2
d) If you do not drive over 65 miles per hour,
then you will not get a speeding ticket.
e) Driving over 65 miles per hour is sufficient
for getting a speeding ticket.
f) You get a speeding ticket, but you do not
drive over 65 miles per hour.
g) Whenever you get a speeding ticket, you
are driving over 65 miles per hour.
3. State the converse, contrapositive, and inverse
of each of these conditional statements.
a) If it snows tonight, then I will stay home.
b) I go to the beach whenever it is a sunny
summer day.
c) When I stay up late, it is necessary that I
sleep until noon.
4. Construct the truth table for each of these com-
pound propositions.
a) p ∧ ¬p
b) p ∨ ¬p
c) (p ∨ ¬q) → q
d) (p ∨ q) → (p ∧ q)
e) (p → q) ↔ (¬q → ¬p)
f) (p → q) → (q → p)
Day 2 - Applications of Propositional Logic
1. On the Island of Knights and Knaves, where knights always tell the truth and knaves always lie, you
encounter two people, A and B. Determine, if possible, what A and B are.

a) A says “The two of us are both knights” and B says “A is a knave.”

b) A says “At least one of us is a knave” and B says nothing.

2. In this problem there is a third kind of inhabitant on the island, called normals, which may either tell
the truth or lie. You now encounter three people A, B, and C. You know one is a knight, one is a
knave, and one is a normal. Each of the three people knows the type of person each of the other two
is. Determine who is the knight, knave, and normal.
a) A says “C is the knave”, B says “A is the knight”, and C says “I am the normal”.
b) A says “I am the knight”, B says “I am the knave”, and C says “B is the knight”

3
Day 3 - Logical Equivalences
1. Show that p ↔ q ≡ (p ∧ q) ∨ (¬p ∧ ¬q) two ways.
• Using truth tables
• Using equational reasoning
2. Show that each of these conditional statements is a tautology using truth tables.

a) p ∧ q → p
b) ¬p → (p → q)
3. Show that the following propositions are logically equivalent using equational reasoning.
a) p → q and ¬q → ¬p
b) (p → q) ∧ (p → r) and p → (q ∧ r)
c) ¬p → (q → r) and q → (p ∨ r)