Symbol
|
Logic Name
|
Read as
|
Category
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Explanation
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Examples
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⇒ → ⊃
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material conditional (material implication)
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implies, if P then Q, it is not the case that P and not Q
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propositional logic, Boolean algebra, Heyting algebra
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is false when A is true and B is false but true otherwise.
may mean the same as (the symbol may also indicate the domain and codomain of a function; see table of mathematical symbols).
may mean the same as (the symbol may also mean superset).
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is true, but is in general false (since x could be −2).
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⇔ ↔ ≡
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material biconditional (material equivalence)
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if and only if, iff, xnor
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propositional logic, Boolean algebra
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is true only if both A and B are false, or both A and B are true. Whether a symbol means a material biconditional or a logical equivalence, depends on the author’s style.
|
|
¬ ~ !
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negation
|
not
|
propositional logic, Boolean algebra
|
The statement is true if and only if A is false.
A slash placed through another operator is the same as placed in front.
|
|
∧ · &
|
logical conjunction
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and
|
propositional logic, Boolean algebra
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The statement A ∧ B is true if A and B are both true; otherwise, it is false.
|
|
∨ + ∥
|
logical (inclusive) disjunction
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or
|
propositional logic, Boolean algebra
|
The statement A ∨ B is true if A or B (or both) are true; if both are false, the statement is false.
|
|
⊕ ⊻ ↮ ≢
|
exclusive disjunction
|
xor, either ... or ... (but not both)
|
propositional logic, Boolean algebra
|
The statement is true when either A or B, but not both, are true. This is equivalent to ¬(A ↔ B), hence the symbols and .
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is always true and is always false (if vacuous truth is excluded).
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⊤ T 1
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true (tautology)
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top, truth, tautology, verum, full clause
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propositional logic, Boolean algebra, first-order logic
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denotes a proposition that is always true.
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The proposition is always true since at least one of the two is unconditionally true.
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⊥ F 0
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false (contradiction)
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bottom, falsity, contradiction, falsum, empty clause
|
propositional logic, Boolean algebra, first-order logic
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denotes a proposition that is always false. The symbol ⊥ may also refer to perpendicular lines.
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The proposition is always false since at least one of the two is unconditionally false.
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∀ ()
|
universal quantification
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given any, for all, for every, for each, for any
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first-order logic
|
or says “given any , has property .”
|
|
∃
|
existential quantification
|
there exists, for some
|
first-order logic
|
says “there exists an (at least one) such that has property .”
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n is even.
|
∃!
|
uniqueness quantification
|
there exists exactly one
|
first-order logic (abbreviation)
|
says “there exists exactly one such that has property .” Only and are part of formal logic. is an abbreviation for
|
|
( )
|
precedence grouping
|
parentheses; brackets
|
almost all logic syntaxes, as well as metalanguage
|
Perform the operations inside the parentheses first.
|
(8 ÷ 4) ÷ 2 = 2 ÷ 2 = 1, but 8 ÷ (4 ÷ 2) = 8 ÷ 2 = 4.
|
|
domain of discourse
|
domain of discourse
|
metalanguage (first-order logic semantics)
|
|
|
⊢
|
turnstile
|
syntactically entails (proves)
|
metalanguage (metalogic)
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says “ is a theorem of ”. In other words, proves via a deductive system.
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(eg. by using natural deduction)
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⊨
|
double turnstile
|
semantically entails
|
metalanguage (metalogic)
|
says “in every model, it is not the case that is true and is false”.
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(eg. by using truth tables)
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≡ ⟚ ⇔
|
logical equivalence
|
is logically equivalent to
|
metalanguage (metalogic)
|
It’s when and . Whether a symbol means a material biconditional or a logical equivalence, depends on the author’s style.
|
|
⊬
|
|
does not syntactically entail (does not prove)
|
metalanguage (metalogic)
|
says “ is not a theorem of ”. In other words, is not derivable from via a deductive system.
|
|
⊭
|
|
does not semantically entail
|
metalanguage (metalogic)
|
says “ does not guarantee the truth of ”. In other words, does not make true.
|
|
□
|
necessity (in a model)
|
box; it is necessary that
|
modal logic
|
modal operator for “it is necessary that” in alethic logic, “it is provable that” in provability logic, “it is obligatory that” in deontic logic, “it is believed that” in doxastic logic.
|
says “it is necessary that everything has property ”
|
◇
|
possibility (in a model)
|
diamond; it is possible that
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modal logic
|
modal operator for “it is possible that”, (in most modal logics it is defined as “¬□¬”, “it is not necessarily not”).
|
says “it is possible that something has property ”
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∴
|
therefore
|
therefore
|
metalanguage
|
abbreviation for “therefore”.
|
|
∵
|
because
|
because
|
metalanguage
|
abbreviation for “because”.
|
|
≔ ≜ ≝
|
definition
|
is defined as
|
metalanguage
|
means "from now on, is defined to be another name for ." This is a statement in the metalanguage, not the object language. The notation may occasionally be seen in physics, meaning the same as .
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