Discrete Structures
Assignment 1 Solution
Q. No. 01: Negation of the proposition [5 Marks]
Proposition: "Vandana’s smartphone has at least 32 GB of memory."
Negation in simple English:
Vandana's smartphone does not have at least 32 GB of memory (i.e., it has less than 32 GB of memory).
Negation in symbolic form:
Let p represent "Vandana’s smartphone has at least 32 GB of memory."
Negation: ¬p (which means "Vandana’s smartphone does not have at least 32 GB of memory").
Q. No. 02: Conjunction of propositions [5 Marks]
Let p represent "Rebecca’s PC has more than 16 GB free hard disk space."
Let q represent "The processor in Rebecca’s PC runs faster than 1 GHz.
Conjunction (p ∧ q):
Rebecca’s PC has more than 16 GB free hard disk space, and the processor in Rebecca’s PC runs faster than
1 GHz.
Symbolically:
p∧q
Q. No. 03: Disjunction of propositions [5 Marks]
Let p represent "Rebecca’s PC has more than 16 GB free hard disk space."
Let q represent "The processor in Rebecca’s PC runs faster than 1 GHz."
Disjunction (p ∨ q):
Rebecca’s PC has more than 16 GB free hard disk space, or the processor in Rebecca’s PC runs faster than
1 GHz.
Symbolically:
p∨q
Q. No. 04: Argument forms and truth table [10 Marks]
Part (a)
Argument:
If Tom is not on team A, then Hua is on team B.
If Hua is not on team B, then Tom is on team A.
∴ Tom is not on team A or Hua is not on team B.
Let:
- p = "Tom is on team A"
- q = "Hua is on team B"
The argument in symbolic form:
1. ¬p → q
2. ¬q → p
Conclusion: ∴ ¬p ∨ ¬q
Truth table:
Explanation of validity:
An argument is valid if the conclusion must be true whenever all the premises are true. Looking at the truth
table:
- In the first row, both premises (¬p → q and ¬q → p) are true, but the conclusion (¬p ∨ ¬q) is false.
Since there is a case where the premises are true and the conclusion is false, this argument is invalid.
Part (b)
Argument:
Oleg is a math major, or Oleg is an economics major.
If Oleg is a math major, then Oleg is required to take Math 362.
∴ Oleg is an economics major, or Oleg is not required to take Math 362.
Let:
- p = "Oleg is a math major"
- q = "Oleg is required to take Math 362"
- r = "Oleg is an economics major"
The argument in symbolic form:
1. p ∨ r
2. p → q
Conclusion: ∴ r ∨ ¬q
Truth table:
Explanation of validity:
For the argument to be valid, the conclusion must be true whenever all the premises are true. In this truth
table:
- The second third shows both premises are true (p ∨ r = T, p → q = T), but the conclusion (r ∨ ¬q) is false.
Since there is at least one case where the premises are true and the conclusion is false, this argument is
invalid.
Q. No. 05: Circuit Design for Light Switches [5 Marks]
The two switches function like an XOR gate (exclusive OR), where flipping either switch changes the state
of the lights. The lights are ON when the switches are in opposite positions and OFF when both are in the
same position.
Design:
- Use an XOR gate between the two switches to control the lights.
- Let S1 and S2 represent the two switches.
- The circuit expression is: S1 ⊕ S2
Q. No. 06: Simplified circuits [16 Marks]
Since Question statement said find such circuits, you must draw the circuit for each part
Part (a)
Part (b)
So, the final 2 gates are AND gate , NOT Gate
Other Acceptable Answer:
Although this answer contains 3 gates, but it will be accepted this time as it contains only 2 types
of gates, and it is 1 step away from actual answer which we get after apply De Morgan’s Law:
Q. No. 07: Truth table and proof [4 Marks]
Expression: ¬(P ∨ (¬P ∧ Q)) ≡ (¬P ∧ ¬Q)
The truth table shows that ¬(P ∨ (¬P ∧ Q)) is equivalent to (¬P ∧ ¬Q).
