Final Study Guide

For the Final you should know all information in the study guides for each section of the course and pay special attention to the following:

Concepts:

Explain the relationship between validity and the following notions: Counterexample (A valid argument has no counterexample), Consistency (An argument is in valid if its premises and negated conclusion are consistent), Closed Tree (An argument is valid if the tree formed from the premises and the negated conclusion is closed in every branch).


Skills:

· Remember all expressions on the Handy Translation Chart (Notes, p.31). Be able to distinguish singular from general terms. Especially, be able to diagnose such sentences as: "A dog got into the garbage" as general, and "The dog got into the garbage" as singular.

· Recognize main connectives, and apply rules only to main connectives.

· Remember perfectly the 10 primitive rules on p.272, of Propositional Logic, the rules DM, AR, and DN, and the quantifier rules in Predicate Logic Ch. 3-4.

· Use the backwards proof strategy. Make provisional assumptions (PA) only when appropriate, i.e. only when setting up Arrow In, Dash In or Dash Out. Know, and be able to use, the strategy suggestions on p.115, Predicate Logic.

· Use the Or Out strategy. That is, when AvB appears in the proof, and your last goal is G, know to set the "missing conditionals" AG and BG as new goals, and derive G by Or Out.

· Use AR and DM to simplify sentences with the forms: ~(AvB), ~(AB), ~(A&B).

· Demonstrate that a rule is derivable.

· Remember truth tables perfectly, and be able to calculate truth tables quickly.

· Know the tree rules (Book I, p.233 and be able to construct trees and counterexample.

· Order the use of the predicate logic rules properly: Quantifier Exchange, Existential Out, Universal Out. Understand and avoid breaking, the restriction on the Existential Out rule.

· Remember the tree rules perfectly and be able to construct a tree in predicate logic quickly.

· Test all concepts in Section 6 that are marked with "T" with truth tables and trees. Be able to test all concepts marked "P" with proofs.