Nested Quantifiers

Niloufar Shafiei

Nested quantifiers
Two quantifiers are nested if one is within the
scope of the other.
P(x,y)

Example:

x y (x + y = 0)
Q(x)

x Q(x)
Q(x) is y P(x,y)
P(x,y) is (x + y = 0)
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into English.

x
y (x + y = y + x)
Domain: real numbers
Solution:
For all real numbers x and y, x + y = y + x.

Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into English.

x y (x = - y)
Domain: real numbers
Solution:
For every real number x, there is a real
number y such that x = - y.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into English.
x y ((x > 0)  (y < 0)
(xy < 0))
Domain: real numbers
Solution:
For every real numbers x and y, if x is positive and y
is negative then xy is negative.
The product of a positive real number and a negative
real number is always a negative real number.
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The order of quantifiers (example)

Assume P(x,y) is (xy = yx).
Translate the following statement into English.

x
y P(x,y)
domain: real numbers
Solution:
For all real numbers x, for all real numbers y,
xy = yx.
For every pair of real numbers x, y, xy = yx.
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The order of quantifiers

The order of nested universal quantifiers
in a statement without other quantifiers
can be changed without changing the
meaning of the quantified statement.

The order of quantifiers (example)

Assume P(x,y) is (xy = 6).
Translate the following statement into English.

x
y P(x,y)
domain: integers
Solution:
There is an integer x for which there is an integer
y that xy = 6.
There is a pair of integers x, y for which xy = 6.
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The order of quantifiers

The order of nested existential quantifiers
in a statement without other quantifiers can
be changed without changing the meaning
of the quantified statement.

The order of quantifiers (example)

Assume P(x,y) is (x + y = 10).

x y P(x,y)
domain: real numbers
For all real numbers x there is a real number y such that x + y
= 10.
True (y = 10 - x)
y
x P(x,y)
domain: real numbers
There is a real number y such that for all real numbers x, x + y
= 10.
False
So,
x y P(x,y) and y
x P(x,y) are not logically equivalent.
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The order of quantifiers

Assume P(x,y,z) is (x + y = z).

x
y z P(x,y,z)
domain: real numbers
For all real numbers x and y there is a real number z such that
x + y = z.
True
z
x
y P(x,y,z)
domain: real numbers
There is a real number z such that for all real numbers x and y
x + y = z.
False
So,
x
y z P(x,y,z) and z
x
y P(x,y,z) are not logically
equivalent.
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The order of quantifiers

The order of nested existential and
universal quantifiers in a statement is
important.

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Quantification of two variable


x
y P(x,y)

When true?
P(x,y) is true for every pair x,y.

When false?
There is a pair x, y for which P(x,y) is false.


x y P(x,y)

When true?
For every x there is a y for which P(x,y) is true.

When false?
There is an x such that P(x,y) is false for every y.
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Quantification of two variable

 x
y P(x,y)

When true?
There is an x for which P(x,y) is true for every y.

When false?
For every x there is a y for which P(x,y) is false.

 x y P(x,y)

When true?
There is a pair x, y for which P(x,y) is true.

When false?
P(x,y) is false for every pair x, y.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into a logical
expression.
The sum of two positive integers is always positive.
Solution:

Rewrite it in English that quantifiers and a
domain are shown
For every pair of integers, if both integers are
positive, then the sum of them is positive.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
The sum of two positive integers is always positive.
Solution:

Introduce variables
For every pair of integers, if both integers are positive,
then the sum of them is positive.
For all integers x, y, if x and y are positive, then x+y is
positive.

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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
The sum of two positive integers is always positive.
Solution:

Translate it to a logical expression
For all integers x, y, if x and y are positive, then x+y is
positive.
x y ((x > 0)  (y > 0)
(x + y > 0))
x y (x + y > 0)

domain: integers

domain: positive integers

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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
Every real number except zero has a multiplicative inverse.
A multiplicative inverse of a real number x is a real number y such
that xy = 1.

Solution:

Rewrite it in English that quantifiers and a domain
are shown
For every real number except zero, there is a
multiplicative inverse.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
Every real number except zero has a multiplicative inverse.
A multiplicative inverse of a real number x is a real number y such that
xy = 1.

Solution:

Introduce variables
For every real number except zero, there is a multiplicative
inverse.
For every real number x, if x
0, then there is a real number
y such that xy = 1.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
Every real number except zero has a multiplicative inverse.
A multiplicative inverse of a real number x is a real number y such that
xy = 1.

Solution:

Translate it to a logical expression
For every real number x, if x
0, then there is a real number
y such that xy = 1.

x ((x
0)  y (xy = 1))

domain: real numbers

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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into English.
x (C(x)  y (C(y)
F(x,y)))
C(x): x has a computer.
F(x,y): x and y are friends.
Domain of x and y: all students
Solution:

For every student x, x has a computer or there is a student y

such that y has a computer and x and y are friends.
Every student has a computer or has a friend that has a
computer.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into English.
x y z ((F(x,y)  F(x,z)  (y
z))  F(y,z))
F(x,y): x and y are friends.
Domain of x, y and z: all students
Solution:

There is a student x such that for all students y and all

students z, if x and y are friends, x and z are friend and z
and y are not the same student, then y and z are not
friend.
There is a student none of whose friends are also friends with
each other.
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into logical expression.
If a person is a student and is computer science major, then
this person takes a course in mathematics.
Solution:
 Determine individual propositional functions

S(x): x is a student.

C(x): x is a computer science major.

T(x,y): x takes a course y.
 Translate the sentence into logical expression
x ((S(x)  C(x))
y T(x,y))
Domain of x: all people
Domain of y: all courses in mathematics
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into logical expression.
Everyone has exactly one best friend.
Solution:
 Determine individual propositional function

B(x,y): y is the best friend of x.
 Express the English statement using variable and individual
propositional function

For all x, there is y who is the best friend of x and for every
person z, if person z is not person y, then z is not the best
friend of x.
 Translate the sentence into logical expression
x y (B(x,y)  z ((z
y)  B(x,z))
Domain of x, y and z: all people
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into logical expression.
Everyone has exactly one best friend.
Solution:
 Determine individual propositional function

B(x,y): y is the best friend of x.
 Express the English statement using variable and individual
propositional function

For all x, there is y who is the best friend of x and for every
person z, if person z is not person y, then z is not the best
friend of x.
 Translate the sentence into logical expression
x y z ( (B(x,y)  B(x,z))
(y = z) )
Domain of x, y and z: all people
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into logical expression.
There is a person who has taken a flight on every airline in the
world.
Solution:
 Determine individual propositional function

F(x,f): x has taken flight f.

A(f,a): flight f is on airline a.
 Translate the sentence into logical expression
x a f (F(x,f)
A(f,a))
Domain of x: all people
Domain of f: all flights
Domain of a: all airlines
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Nested quantifiers (example)

Translate the following statement into logical expression.
There is a person who has taken a flight on every airline in the
world.
Solution:
 Determine individual propositional function

R(x,f,a): x has taken flight f on airline a.
 Translate the sentence into logical expression
x
a f R(x,f,a)
Domain of x: all people
Domain of f: all flights
Domain of a: all airlines

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Negating quantified expressions

(review)

x P(x)
x P(x)

x P(x)

x P(x)

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Negating nested quantifiers

Rules for negating statements involving a
single quantifiers can be applied for
negating statements involving nested
quantifiers.

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Negating nested quantifiers

(example)
What is the negation of the following statement?
x y (x = -y)
Solution:
x P(x)
P(x) = y (x = -y)
x P(x)
x ( y (x = -y))
x (y (x = -y))
x y (x
-y)
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Negating nested quantifiers

(example)
Translate the following statement in logical expression?
There is not a person who has taken a flight on every airline.
Solution:
 Translate the positive sentence into logical expression

x a f (F(x,f)
A(f,a))

by previous example

F(x,f): x has taken flight f.

A(f,a): flight f is on airline a.

 Find the negation of the logical expression

x a f (F(x,f)
A(f,a))
x a f (F(x,f)
A(f,a))
x a f (F(x,f)
A(f,a))
x a f (F(x,f)
A(f,a))
x a f (F(x,f)  A(f,a))
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