TYPES OF MATHEMATICAL REASONING

EXAMPLES OF INDUCTIVE
REASONING
1st premise: John is an excellent swimmer.
2nd premise: John’s family has a swimming pool.
Conclusion: John’s sister Mary must also be an excellent swimmer

1st premise: The coin pulled from the bag is a penny.

2nd premise: The second coin from the bag is a penny.
Conclusion: Therefore, all the coins in the bag are pennies.
Even if all of the premises are true in a statement,
inductive reasoning allows for the conclusion to be
false. •Here's an example:
1st premise: Harold is a grandfather.
2nd premise: Harold is bald.
Conclusion: Therefore, all grandfathers are bald.

1st premise: Elvhin is good looking.

2nd premise: Elvhin is well-behaved
Conclusion: Therefore, all good looking are well-behaved.
TYPES OF MATHEMATICAL REASONING
 EXAMPLES OF DEDUCTIVE
REASONING

1st premise: All numbers ending in 0 or 5 are

divisible by 5.
2nd premise: The number 35 ends with a 5.
Conclusion: Therefore, 35 is divisible by 5
 EXAMPLES OF DEDUCTIVE
REASONING
1st premise: All men are mortal.
2nd premise: Engineers are men.
Conclusion: Therefore, All Engineers are mortal.

1st premise: All squares are rectangles.

2nd premise: A; rectangles have four sides.
Conclusion: Therefore, All squares have four sides.
Conditional
Statements
 Conditional Statement

Defn. A conditional statement is a

statement that can be written as an if-
then statement. That is, as
“If _____________, then ______________.”
 Example:

If your feet smell

and your nose runs,
then you're built upside down.
Conditional Statements have two parts:

The hypothesis is the part of a conditional

statement that follows “if” (when written in if-
then form.)
It is the given information, or the condition.

If a number is prime, then a number has

exactly two divisors.

Leave off “if” and

Hypothesis: a number is prime
comma.
Conditional Statements have two parts:

The conclusion is the part of a conditional statement

that follows “then” (when written in if-then form.)
It is the result of the given information.

If a number is prime, then a number has

exactly two divisors.

Leave off “then” and

periodtwo divisors
Conclusion: a number has exactly
Rewriting Conditional Statements

Conditional statements can be put into an

“if-then” form to clarify which part is the
hypothesis and which is the conclusion.

Method: Turn the subject into a hypothesis.

 Example 1:

Vertical angles are congruent.

can be written as...

If two angles are vertical,

then they are congruent.
 Example 2:

Seals swim.

can be written as...

If an animal is a seal, then it swims.
 Example 3:

Babies are illogical.

can be written as...

If a person is a baby, then the person is
illogical.
 IF …THEN vs. IMPLIES
Another way of writing an if-then
statement is using the word implies.

Two angles are vertical

implies they are congruent.

 Conditional Statements
can be true or false:
• A conditional statement is false
only when the hypothesis is true,
but the conclusion is false.
• A counterexample is an example
used to show that a statement is not
always true and therefore false.
 Counterexample
Statement: If you live in Virginia, then
you live in Richmond, VA.

Is there a counterexample?

YES... Anyone who lives in Virginia, but

not Richmond, VA.
Therefore () the statement is false.
 Symbolic Logic

Symbols can be used to

modify or connect
statements.
 Symbols for
Hypothesis and Conclusion

Lower case letters, such as p and q, are

frequently used to represent the hypothesis
and conclusion.
if p, then q
or

p implies q
 Symbols for
Hypothesis and Conclusion

Example
p: a number is prime

q: a number has exactly two divisors

If a number is prime, then it has exactly two divisors.

if p, then q or p implies q


is used to represent the words

“if … then”
or
“implies”
 pq
means

if p, then q
or

p implies q
 Example

p: a number is prime
q: a number has exactly two divisors
pq:
If a number is prime, then it has
exactly two divisors.
 ~
is used to represent the word

“not”
•~ p is the negation of p.
•The negation of a statement is the
denial of the statement. Add or
remove the word “not.”
•To negate, write ~ p.
 Example

p: the angle is obtuse

~p: the angle is not obtuse
Be careful because ~p means that the
angle could be acute, right, or
straight.
 Example

p: James doesn’t like fish.

~p: James likes fish.

Notice: ~p took the “not” out… it

would have been a double negative
(not not)

is used to represent the word

“and”
 Example

p: a number is even
q: a number is divisible by 3
pq: A number is even and it is
divisible by 3.
6,12,18,24,30,36,42...

is used to represent the
word

“or”
 Example

p: a number is even
q: a number is divisible by 3
pq: A number is even or it is
divisible by 3.
2,3,4,6,8,9,10,12,14,15,...

is used to represent the
word

“therefore”
 Example

Therefore, the statement is

false.

 the statement is false

 Different Forms of
Conditional Statements
 Forms of Conditional Statements

Converse: Statement formed from a conditional statement

by switching the hypothesis and conclusion (q  p)

pq If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.

qp If two angles are congruent, then they are vertical.

Are these statements true or false?
Continued…..
 Forms of Conditional Statements

Inverse: Statement formed from a conditional statement by

negating both the hypothesis and conclusion.
(~p~q)

pq : If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.

~p~q: If two angles are not vertical, then they are not
congruent.

Are these statements true or false?

 Forms of Conditional Statements

Contrapositive: Statement formed from a conditional statement

by switching and negating both the hypothesis and conclusion.
(~q~p)

pq : If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.

~q~p: If they are not congruent, then two angles are not
vertical

Are these statements true or false?

Contrapositives are logically equivalent to the original conditional
statement.

• If pq is true,
then qp is true.
• If pq is false,
then qp is false.
Activity