Discrete Structures

Topic 5 – Logic: Nested Quantifiers

* Extracted from Discrete Mathematics and It’s Applications book slides

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Nested Quantifiers
}  Nested quanti9iers are often necessary to express the
meaning of sentences in English as well as important
concepts in computer science and mathematics

}  Example:
}  “Every real number has an additive inverse” can be
expressed as ∀x ∃y(x + y = 0) where the domains of x and y
are the real numbers
}  We can also think of nested propositional functions
}  ∀x ∃y(x + y = 0) can be viewed as ∀x Q(x) where Q(x) is
∃y P(x, y) where P(x, y) is (x + y = 0)

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Order of Quantifiers
}  Examples:
}  Let P(x,y) be the statement “x + y = y + x” and assume that
U is the real numbers. Then
}  ∀x ∀y P(x,y) is true
}  ∀y ∀x P(x,y) is true

}  Let Q(x,y) be the statement “x + y = 0” and assume that U
is the real numbers. Then
}  ∀x ∃y P(x,y) is true
}  ∃y ∀x P(x,y) is false

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Questions on Order of Quantifiers
}  Example:
}  Let U be the real numbers
}  De9ine P(x,y) : x ∙ y = 0
}  What is the truth value of the following:
}  ∀x ∀y P(x,y)
¨  false
}  ∀x ∃y P(x,y)
¨  true
}  ∃x ∀y P(x,y)
¨  true
}  ∃x ∃y P(x,y)
¨  true

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Quantifications of Two Variables
Statement When True? When False
P(x,y) is true for every There is a pair x, y for
pair x,y which P(x,y) is false

For every x there is a y for There is an x such that
which P(x,y) is true P(x,y) is false for every y
There is an x for which For every x there is a y for
P(x,y) is true for every y which P(x,y) is false
There is a pair x, y for P(x,y) is false for every
which P(x,y) is true pair x,y

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Translating Mathematical Statements into
Statements with Nested Quantifiers
}  Example :
}  Translate “The sum of two positive integers is always positive”
into a logical expression
}  Solution:
1.  Rewrite the statement to make the implied quanti9iers and
domains explicit:
“For every two integers, if these integers are both positive, then the
sum of these integers is positive”
2.  Introduce the variables x and y, and specify the domain, to
obtain:
“For all positive integers x and y, x + y is positive”
3.  The result is:
∀x ∀y ((x > 0)∧ (y > 0)→ (x + y > 0))
where the domain of both variables consists of all integers

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Translating English into Logical Expressions
Example
}  Example:
}  Use quanti9iers to express the statement “There is a woman
who has taken a 9light on every airline in the world”
}  Solution:
1.  Let P(w,f,a) be “w has taken 9light f on airline a”
2.  The domain of w is all women,
the domain of f is all 9lights, and
the domain of a is all airlines
3.  Then the statement can be expressed as:
∃w ∀a ∃f P(w,f,a )

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Translating Nested Quantifiers into English
}  Example 1:
}  Translate the statement
∃x ∀y ∀z ((F(x, y)∧ F(x,z) ∧ (y ≠z))→¬F(y,z)) where
}  F(x,y) is “x and y are friends” and
}  The domain for both x, y and z consists of all students in your
school

}  Solution:
}  There is a student none of whose friends are also friends
with each other

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Translating Nested Quantifiers into English
}  Example 2:
}  Translate the statement ∀x (C(x )∨ ∃y (C(y ) ∧ F(x, y)))
where
}  C(x) is “x has a computer”, and
}  F(x,y) is “x and y are friends” and
}  The domain for both x and y consists of all students in your school

}  Solution:
}  Every student has a computer or is a friend with someone
who has a computer

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Exercises on Translation from English
}  Choose the obvious predicates and express in predicate logic
}  “Brothers are siblings”
}  ∀x ∀y (B(x,y) → S(x,y))
}  “Siblinghood is symmetric”
}  ∀x ∀y (S(x,y) ↔ S(y,x))
}  “Everybody loves somebody”
}  ∀x ∃y L(x,y)
}  “There is someone who is loved by everyone”
}  ∃y ∀x L(x,y)
}  “There is someone who loves someone”
}  ∃x ∃y L(x,y)
}  “Everyone loves himself”
}  ∀x L(x,x)
}  “Everyone loves exactly one other person”
}  ∀x ∃y (L(x, y) ∧ ∀z (y ≠z→¬L(x,z)))

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Negating Nested Quantifiers
}  Statements involving nested quanti9iers can be negated by
successively applying the rules for negating statements involving
a single quanti9ier

}  Example:
}  Recall the logical expression developed few slides back
∃w ∀a ∃f P(w,f,a )
}  Use quanti9iers to express the statement that “There does not exist a woman
who has taken a 9light on every airline in the world”

}  Solution:
}  ¬∃w ∀a ∃f P(w,f,a )
}  ∀w ∃a ∀f ¬P(w,f,a )

}  In other words, the statements says: “Every women hasn’t taken any
9light on at least one airline in the world”

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 Any Questions?

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