Example · Graduate
Terms
| Term | This example | Why |
| sentence |
✓ |
$\forall x \, (x^2 \geq 0) \land \neg \exists x \, (x^2 < 0)$ is a sentence, because the quantifiers $\forall x$ and $\exists x$ bind every occurrence of $x$.
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| formula logic |
✓ |
$\forall x \, (x^2 \geq 0) \land \neg \exists x \, (x^2 < 0)$ is a formula of first-order logic, because $\forall x \, (x^2 \geq 0) \land \neg \exists x \, (x^2 < 0)$ combines two quantified formulas about the number $x$ with $\land$ and $\neg$.
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| propositional formula |
✗ |
$\forall x \, (x^2 \geq 0) \land \neg \exists x \, (x^2 < 0)$ is not a propositional formula, because its parts are quantified statements about numbers, not propositional variables; replacing $\forall x \, (x^2 \geq 0)$ by $p$ and $\exists x \, (x^2 < 0)$ by $q$ gives the propositional formula $p \land \neg q$.
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Distinctions using this example
- Sentence vs. propositional formula: The sentence $\forall x \, (x^2 \geq 0) \land \neg \exists x \, (x^2 < 0)$ has the propositional form $p \land \neg q$: the propositional formula records only how the statements are combined, and the sentence also says what the statements are about.
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