TRUTH TABLES

By: Shockwave
 Introduction
• The truth value of a statement is the
classification as true or false which
denoted by T or F.
• A truth table is a listing of all possible
combinations of the individual statements
as true or false, along with the resulting
truth value of the compound statements.
• Truth tables are an aide in distinguishing
valid and invalid arguments.
 Truth Table for ~p
• Recall that the negation
of a statement is the p ~p
denial of the statement.
• If the statement p is true,
the negation of p, i.e. ~p
is false.
T F
• If the statement p is false,
then ~p is true. F T
• Note that since the
statement p could be true
or false, we have 2 rows
in the truth table.
 Truth Table for p ^ q
• Recall that the conjunction is
the joining of two statements p q p^q
with the word and.
• The number of rows in this
truth table will be 4. (Since p
has 2 values, and q has 2
value.)
T T T
T F F
• For p ^ q to be true, then both
statements p, q, must be true.
• If either statement or if both
statements are false, then the
conjunction is false.
F T F
F F F
 Truth Table for p v q
• Recall that a disjunction is the
joining of two statements with p q pvq
the word or.
• The number of rows in this
table will be 4, since we have
two statements and they can
take on the two values of true
T T T
T F T
and false.
• For a disjunction to be true, at
least one of the statements
must be true.
• A disjunction is only false, if
both statements are false. F T T
F F F
 Truth Table for p  q
• Recall that conditional is a
compound statement of the p q pq
form “if p then q”.
• Think of a conditional as a
promise.
• If I don’t keep my promise, in
other words q is false, then the
T T T
conditional is false if the
premise is true.
• If I keep my promise, that is q
is true, and the premise is true,
T F F
then the conditional is true.
• When the premise is false (i.e.
p is false), then there was no
promise. Hence by default the
F T T
conditional is true.
F F T
 Truth Table for p ↔ q
Truth table biconditional
(if and only if):
p q p ↔q
(notice the symbol used for "if and

T T T
only if" in the table)

A truth table is a pictorial

representation of all of the possible
outcomes of the truth value of a
compound sentence.  Letters such T F F
as and  are used to represent the
facts (or sentences) within the
compound sentence. F T F
F F T
 Number of Rows
• If a compound statement consists of n
individual statements, each represented
by a different letter, the number of rows
required in the truth table is 2n.
 Equivalent Expressions
• Equivalent
expressions are
symbolic expressions
p ~p ~(~p)
that have identical
truth values for each
corresponding entry
T F T
in a truth table.
• Hence ~(~p) ≡ p. F T F
• The symbol ≡ means
equivalent to.
 Negation of the Conditional
• Here we look
at the
p q ~q p ^ ~q p  q ~(p  q)
negation of
the T T F F T F
conditional.
• Note that the T F T T F T
4th and 6th
columns are
identical. F T F F T F
• Hence p ^ ~q
is equivalent F F T F T F
to ~(p  q).
 De Morgan’s Laws
• The negation of the conjunction p ^ q is
given by ~(p ^ q) ≡ ~p v ~q.
“Not p and q” is equivalent to “not p or not q.”
• The negation of the disjunction p v q is
given by ~(p v q) ≡ ~p ^ ~q.
“Not p or q” is equivalent to “not p and not q.”
• We will look at De Morgan’s Laws again with
Venn Diagrams in Chapter 2.