COMP1215 Foundations of Computer Science

Exercise Sheet 4 - Logic

Natural Deduction for Propositional Logic

NOTE: Tutorials will present solutions to selected representative exercises, which for
this exercise sheet are 1(a), 1(b) and 3, and answer questions to the rest of them. Optional
exercises are provided for your own further study and will not be covered in the face-to-face
tutorials.
1. Give natural deduction proofs to show the following:
(a) {ϕ → ψ, ψ → χ} ` ϕ → χ;
(b) {ϕ → (ψ → χ)} ` ϕ ∧ ψ → χ;
(c) {χ → ϕ, χ → ψ} ` χ → ϕ ∧ ψ;
(d) {ϕ → χ, ψ → χ} ` ϕ ∨ ψ → χ;
(e) ϕ ∧ ψ ` ϕ → ψ.
2. Prove that if Γ ∪ {ϕ} ` ψ then Γ ` ϕ → ψ.
3. Prove that if Γ1 ` ϕ and Γ2 ∪ {ϕ} ` ψ then Γ1 ∪ Γ2 ` ψ.

Optional, advanced exercises

1. Find natural deduction proofs of De Morgan’s laws:

(a) ` ¬(ϕ ∨ ψ) → ¬ϕ ∧ ¬ψ;

(b) ` ¬(ϕ ∧ ψ) → ¬ϕ ∨ ¬ψ.

2. Find natural deduction proofs to show the following:

(a) ` ϕ → ¬¬ϕ;
(b) ` ¬¬ϕ → ϕ;
(c) ϕ → ψ ` ¬ψ → ¬ϕ;
(d) ` ϕ ∨ ¬ϕ.
 ϕ ψ ϕ∧ψ ϕ∧ψ
(∧I) (∧E1) (∧E2)
ϕ∧ψ ϕ ψ

[ϕ] [ψ]
ϕ ψ .. ..
(∨I1) . .
(∨I2)
ϕ∨ψ ϕ∨ψ χ χ ϕ∨ψ
(∨E)
χ

[ϕ]
.. ϕ→ψ ϕ
.
(→ E)
ψ ψ
(→ I)
ϕ→ψ

[ϕ]
.. ¬ϕ ϕ
.
(¬E)
⊥ ⊥
(¬I)
¬ϕ

[¬ϕ]
⊥ ..
.
(⊥)
ϕ ⊥
(RAA)
ϕ