Lesson 2.
Conditional
Statements
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Conditional Statement
Definition: A conditional statement is a logical statement
that can be written in if-then form.
“If _____________, then ______________.”
Example: If your feet smell and your nose runs, then
you're built upside down.
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Conditional Statement - continued
Conditional Statements have two parts:
The hypothesis is the part of a conditional statement that
follows “if” (when written in if-then form.)
The hypothesis is the given information, or the condition.
The conclusion is the part of an if-then statement that follows
“then” (when written in if-then form.)
The conclusion is the result of the given information.
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Writing Conditional Statements
Conditional statements can be written in “if-then” form
to emphasize which part is the hypothesis and which is
the conclusion. Hint: Turn the subject into the hypothesis.
Example 1: Vertical angles are congruent.
Conditional can be written as...
Statement: If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.
Example 2: Seals swim.
Conditional can be written as...
Statement: If an animal is a seal, then it swims.
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If …Then vs. Implies
Another way of writing an if-then statement is using
the word implies.
If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.
Two angles are vertical implies they are congruent.
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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.
Statement: If you live in Virginia, then you live in Richmond.
Is there a counterexample? Yes !!!
Counterexample: I live in Virginia, BUT I live in Leesburg.
Therefore () the statement is false.
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Symbolic Logic
Symbols can be used to modify or connect statements.
Symbols for Hypothesis and Conclusion:
Hypothesis is represented by “p”.
Conclusion is represented by “q”.
if p, then q
or
p implies q
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Symbolic Logic - continued
if p, then q
pq is used to represent or
p implies q
Example: p: a number is prime
q: a number has exactly two divisors
pq: If a number is prime, then it has exactly two divisors.
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Symbolic Logic - continued
~ is used to represent the word “not”
Example 1: p: the angle is obtuse
~p: The angle is not obtuse
Note: ~p means that the angle could be acute, right, or straight.
Example 2: p: I am not happy
~p: I am happy
~p took the “not” out; it would have been a double negative (not not)
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Symbolic Logic - continued
is used to represent the word “and”
Example: p: a number is even
q: a number is divisible by 3
pq: A number is even and it is divisible by 3.
i.e. 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 36, 42, ...
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Symbolic Logic- continued
is used to represent the word “or”
Example: p: a number is even
q: a number is divisible by 3
pq: A number is even or it is divisible by 3.
i.e. 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 12, 14,1 5, ...
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Symbolic Logic - continued
is used to represent the word “therefore”
Example: Therefore, the statement is false.
the statement is false
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Forms of Conditional Statements
Converse: Switch the hypothesis and conclusion
(p q becomes q p)
Conditional:
pq If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.
Converse:
qp If two angles are congruent, then they are vertical.
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Forms of Conditional Statements
Inverse: State the opposite (negation) of both the hypothesis and
conclusion. (p q becomes ~p~q)
Conditional:
pq : If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.
Inverse:
~p~q: If two angles are not vertical, then they are not
congruent.
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Forms of Conditional Statements
Contrapositive: Switch the hypothesis and conclusion and state
the opposites (negations). (p q becomes ~q~p)
Conditional:
pq : If two angles are vertical, then they are congruent.
Contrapositive:
~q~p: If two angles are not congruent, then they are not
vertical.
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Forms of Conditional Statements
Contrapositives are logically equivalent to the original
conditional statement.
If pq is true, then qp is true.
If pq is false, then qp is false.
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Biconditional
When a conditional statement and its converse are both true, the
two statements may be combined.
Use the phrase if and only if (sometimes abbreviated: iff)
Statement: If an angle is right then it has a measure of 90. (true)
Converse: If an angle measures 90, then it is a right angle. (true)
Since both the original (conditional) statement and the converse
are true, we can write the biconditional:
Biconditional: An angle is a right angle if and only if it measures
90.
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