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Phil1001: Introduction to Logic Name: Fall 2021 Group: Problem Set 12: First-Order Semantics - Solutions Due: December 13, 2021 at 11:59pm These are example answers, but yours may differ. Ask your TA if you are uncertain about the quality of your answer. For questions 1 and 2, we’ll consider these two predicates, with the following intended readings: E ( x, y ) : x envies y B ( x ) : x is brilliant And the following names: s, m, w 1. (2pts) Giving interpretations. Given the domain characters in the world of Sherlock Holmes , finish giving an interpretation of the predicates and names above. (Here’s a Wiki link to Sherlock, if you’re unfamiliar!) domain: characters in the world of Sherlock Holmes s : Sherlock w : Watson m : Moriarty E ( x, y ) is true of < Watson, Sherlock >, < Moriarty, Sherlock >, < Sherlock, Moriarty > B ( x ) ’ is true of Sherlock and Moriarty 2. (2pts) Giving interpretations. Now, choose a different domain! (Unrelated to Sherlock.) Using this new domain, give an interpretation of the same predicates and names. You do not need to keep the intended readings (’x envies y’ and ’x is brilliant’), but you may if you wish. domain: me and my siblings s : Cat w : Joey m : Marty E ( x, y ) takes on the intended reading ‘x eats food off of y’s plate’ and is true of < Marty, Joey >, < Joey, Marty >, < Marty, Marty >, < Joey, Joey >, < Cat, Cat >, < Marty, Cat >, < Joey, Cat > B ( x ) ’ takes on the intended reading ‘x is a brother’ and is true of Marty and Joey. For questions 3 and 4, consider the following predicates: Y(x, y), S(x) And the following names: a, b, c, d
And the following interpretation: domain: the Hemsworth brothers (Liam, Chris, and Luke) a : Liam Hemsworth b : Chris Hemsworth c : Luke Hemsworth d : Chris Hemsworth ‘Y(x, y)’ is true of < Liam, Chris >, < Chris, Luke >, < Liam, Luke > . (You can read this as x is younger than y ) ‘S(x)’ is true of Liam, Chris, and Luke. (You can read this as ‘ x has a sibling’.) 3. (3pts) Semantics for FOL: Atomic & Sentential Sentences For each of the following, indi- cate (1) Whether it is a sentence of FOL, given the predicates and names we are considering, and (2) whether it is true or false. Justify your answer to (2) using the semantics for introduced in § 30.1 and § 30.2 of the text. a. S (Liam) (1) Is this a sentence of FOL? No, because ‘Liam’ is not a term in FOL. (2) If yes, then: Is it true? How do you know? b. S ( a ) (1) Is this a sentence of FOL? Yes (2) If yes, then: Is it true? How do you know? Yes, because the name ‘a’ refers to Liam, and Liam is in the extension of ‘S’ on our interpretation, which is the truth condition for atomic sentences of this form. c. b = d (1) Is this a sentence of FOL? Yes (2) If yes, then: Is it true? How do you know? Yes, because the names ‘b’ and ‘d’ both pick out Chris Hemsworth on the interpre- tation, and ‘=’ sentences are true just when the names pick out the same object. d. ( S ( S ( b )) S ( a )) (1) Is this a sentence of FOL? No, because predicates can only be applied to terms, but ( S ( b )) S ( a ) is not a term. (2) If yes, then: Is it true? How do you know? e. ( S ( a ) S ( b )) Y ( a, b ) 2
(1) Is this a sentence of FOL? Yes (2) If yes, then: Is it true? How do you know? Yes, because the semantic entry for the main connective, conjunction, states that the conjunction is true iff both conjuncts ( S ( a ) S ( b )) and Y ( a, b ) are true on the intepretation. ( S ( a ) S ( b )) is true on the interpretation iff S ( a ) and S ( b ) are true on the inter- pretation. S ( a ) and S ( b ) are true on the interpretation iff the objects named by ‘a’ and ‘b’ respectively are in the extension of S on the interpretation. ’a’ = Liam and ‘b’ = Chris, and both are in the extension of S. So, following the chain of biconditionals up, we know that ( S ( a ) S ( b )) is true. Looking at the right-hand side, Y ( a, b ) is true iff the pair picked out by ‘a’ and ‘b’ is in the extension of Y on the interpretation. ’a’ = Liam and ‘b’ = Chris, and the pair < Liam, Chris > is in the extension of Y. So, following the chain of biconditionals up, we know that Y ( a.b ) is true. Now, we have shown that both ( S ( a ) S ( b )) and Y ( a, b ) are true, so we can follow the chain of biconditionals up, and we have shown that the conjunction ( S ( a ) S ( b )) Y ( a, b ) is true. f. ( Y ( d, a ) d = b ) (1) Is this a sentence of FOL? Yes. (2) If yes, then: Is it true? How do you know? Yes. To see this, consider the semantic entry for the conditional. ( Y ( d, a ) d = b ) is true iff either Y ( d, a ) is false or d = b is true in the interpre- tation. Y ( d, a ) is true in the interpretation iff the pair picked out by ‘d’ and ‘a’, in that order, is in the extension of Y in the interpretation. ‘d’ = Chris and ‘a’ = Liam, but < Chris, Liam > is not in the extension of Y in the interpretation. So, Y ( d, a ) is false in the interpretation. Following the chain of biconditionals up, we have shown that the interpretation satisfies the truth condition for the conditional, so we have shown that ( Y ( d, a ) d = b ) is true on the interpretation. 3
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4. (3pts) Semantics for FOL: Quantified Sentences Determine whether each of the follow- ing quantified sentences is true on the above interpretation. Justify your answer using the semantics for quantifiers introduced in § 30.3 of the text. 1. xS ( x ) Yes. We can see that this is true by looking at the semantic entry for . xS ( x ) is true on an interpretation I iff every object d in the domain satisfies S ( c ) on I [ d/c ] , for arbitrary c and d, where c is a name that is not already used in the interpre- tation. Since our domain has three objects, Liam, Chris, and Luke, we’ll check all three. Suppose we have I [ Liam/l ] , so that the name ‘l’ picks out Liam. S ( l ) is true on I [ Liam/l ] iff the object picked out by ‘l’ is in the extension of S on I [ Liam/l ] . ‘l’ picks out Liam and Liam is in the extension of S in I [ Liam/l ] . So, following the bi- conditional, S ( l ) is true on I [ Liam/l ] Suppose we have I [ Chris/r ] , so that the name ‘r’ picks out Chris. S ( r ) is true on I [ Chris/r ] iff the object picked out by ‘r’ is in the extension of S on I [ Chris/r ] . ‘r’ picks out Chris and Chris is in the extension of S in I [ Chris/r ] . So, following the biconditional, S ( r ) is true on I [ Chris/r ] Suppose we have I [ Luke/u ] , so that the name ‘u’ picks out Luke. S ( u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ] iff the object picked out by ‘u’ is in the extension of S on I [ Like/u ] . ‘u’ picks out Luke and Luke is in the extension of S in I [ Luke/u ] . So, following the biconditional, S ( u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ] We have now shown that every object d in the domain satisfies S ( c ) on I [ d/c ] . Following the biconditionals, we have shown that xS ( x ) is true on this interpretation. 2. xY ( x, x ) No. We can see that this is false by looking at the semantic entry for . xY ( x, x ) is true on an interpretation I iff every object d in the domain satisfies Y ( c, c ) on I [ d/c ] , for arbitrary c and d, where c is a name that is not already used in the inter- pretation. But, suppose we have an interpretation I [ Liam/m ] . Y ( m, m ) is true in I [ Liam/m ] iff the pair < Liam, Liam > is in the extension of Y under I [ Liam/m ] . < Liam, Liam > is not in the extension of Y under I [ Liam/m ] So, following the biconditionals, we have shown that xY ( x, x ) is not true on this in- terpretation. 3. yY ( y, a ) 4
No. We can see that this is false by looking at the semantic entry for . yY ( y, a ) is true on an interpretation I iff there is an object d in the domain such that Y ( k, a ) is true on I [ d/k ] , where k is a name that has not been used in I . But, Y ( k, a ) is true on I [ d/k ] iff the pair picked out by the objects named by ‘k’ and ‘a’ is in the extension of Y under I [ d/k ] . However, any such I [ d/k ] will share the extension of Y under I , and there is no pair in the extension if Y under I such that Liam, the object picked out by ‘a’, occupies the second place in the ordered pair. Therefore, there is no interpretation I [ d/k ] that such that the pair picked out by the objects named by ‘k’ and ‘a’ is in the extension of Y under I [ d/k ] . Following the biconditionals, then, we have shown that yY ( y, a ) is false under this interpretation. 4. x yY ( y, x ) No. We can see that this is false by looking at the semantic entry for . x yY ( y, x ) is true on an interpretation I iff there is an object d in the domain such that yY ( y, k ) is true on I [ d/k ] , where k is a name that has not been used in I . Let I [ Luke/u ] be such an interpretation. yY ( y, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ] iff every object d in the domain satisfies Y ( g, u ) on I [ Luke/u ][ d/g ] , for arbitrary g and d, where g is a name that is not already used in the interpretation. But, I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] is one such interpretation. And, Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] iff the pair picked out by the objects named by ‘h’ and ‘u’, in that order, is in the extension of Y under I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . But, the pair < Luke, Luke > is not in the extension of Y under I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] , since the extension of Y under I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] is the same as the extension of Y under I . So, following the biconditionals, yY ( y, u ) is false on I [ Luke/u ] . And, we can carry out the same reasoning for each of the other objects in the domain: there is no object d in the domain such that the pair < d, d > in the extension of Y under I . But, as we have just seen, there must be such a pair in order to make x yY ( y, x ) true. 5. x y ( ¬ x = y Y ( y, x )) Yes. We can see this by examining the semantic entry for . x y ( ¬ x = y Y ( y, x )) is true on an interpretation I iff there is an object d in the domain such that yY ( y, k ) is true on I [ d/k ] , where k is a name that has not been used in I . Let I [ Luke/u ] be such an interpretation. y ( ¬ u = y Y ( y, u )) is true on I [ Luke/u ] iff every object d in the domain satisfies ¬ u = g Y ( g, u ) on I [ Luke/u ][ d/g ] , for arbitrary g and d, where g is a name that is not already used in the interpretation. Now, since there are three objects in the domain, we must consider three possible in- 5
terpretations: I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] I [ Luke/u ][ Chris/h ] First, we consider I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . ¬ u = h Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] iff either ¬ u = h is false or Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . ¬ u = h is true in I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] iff u = h is false in I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . u = h is true in I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] iff the object picked out by ‘u’ and the object picked out by ‘h’ are the same in I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . ‘u’ and ‘h’ both pick out Luke in I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . Following the biconditionals, then, ¬ u = g Y ( g, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Luke/h ] . Next, we consider I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] . ¬ u = h Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] iff either ¬ u = h is false or Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] . Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] iff < Liam, Luke > is in the extension of Y under I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] . < Liam, Luke > is in the extension of Y under I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] . So, following the biconditionals, ¬ u = h Y ( h, u ) is true on I [ Luke/u ][ Liam/h ] . Finally, we can follow the same reasoning for I [ Luke/u ][ Chris/h ] , mutatis mutandis . So, we have shown that x y ( ¬ x = y Y ( y, x )) is true on this interpretation. 6. xY ( x, x ) ∨ ¬∃ x yY ( y, x ) xY ( x, x ) ∨¬∃ x yY ( y, x ) is true on an interpretation I iff either xY ( x, x ) or ¬∃ x yY ( y, x ) is true on I. ¬∃ x yY ( y, x ) is true on I iff x yY ( y, x ) is false in I . In problem 4.4, we showed that x yY ( y, x ) is false on I . Following the biconditionals, then, we have shown that xY ( x, x ) ∨ ¬∃ x yY ( y, x ) is true on this interpretation. 6
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