Math 3283W: Sequences, Series & Foundations F13 Exam 1 Solutions

The following is a non-comprehensive list of solutions to Exam 1 problems. In some cases I may give an answer with just
a few words of explanation. On other problems the stated solution may be complete. As always, feel free to ask if you are
unsure of the appropriate level of details to include in your own work.

Please let me know if you spot any typos and Ill update things as soon as possible.

(1) Use a truth table to prove the tautology ( p) ( q) (p q).

This is one of De Morgans Laws, covered in the lecture on Section 1.1. You can see the truth table in the answer
to Practice Problem 1.1.7(a).

(2) Consider the following statements:

p: If n N then 2n is an even integer.
q: For all real numbers x, there exists a real number y such that xy < 0.
(a) Write the converse of p and determine its truth value.
If 2n is an even integer then n N. This is false, since n could be a negative integer. (Consider 2n = 10, for
example.)

(b) Write the negation of p and determine its truth value.

Recall that the negation of p q isnt an if, then statement. Its p ( q). In this case that yields: n N
and 2n is odd.

(c) Rewrite q using mathematical/logical symbols wherever possible.

x R, y R 3 xy < 0.

(d) Write the negation of q using symbols or words and determine its truth value. (You should not just put the
negation symbol in front of the statement; rather, change quantifiers and other symbols as needed to express
the negation as a new statement.)
x R 3 y R, xy 0. This is true; x = 0 is the required value; for all real numbers y, we have 0 y 0.

(3) (a) (Proof by Contradiction) If x is rational and y is irrational, then x + y is irrational.

Assume not; that is, assume x is rational, y is irrational, and x + y is rational. Then x = a/b and x + y = c/d,
where a, b, c, d Z and b, d, 6= 0. Then:

y = (x + y) x
c a
=
d b
bc ad
= .
bd
Both the numerator and denominator are integers, and bd 6= 0 since b and d are both non-zero. Hence y has the
form of a rational number, which contradicts our assumption that y is irrational.

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 (b) (Proof by Contrapositive): If xy is irrational, then x is irrational or y is irrational.

The contrapositive statement is If x and y are rational, then xy is rational. Suppose x and y are rational, so
x = a/b and y = c/d where a, b, c, d Z and b, d 6= 0. Then
ac ac
xy = =
bd bd
which is a ratio of integers, and bd 6= 0 since b and d are both non-zero. Thus xy is rational.

(4) In each part below, give a brief explanation or example to show that the described relation is not an equivalence
relation.
(a) Set: Z. Relation: mRn iff m n.
This relation fails to be symmetric. For example, 2R3 because 2 3, but 3R2 is false.

(b) R. Relation: xRy iff |x y| 1.

This relation fails to be transitive. For example, set x = 0, y = 1 and z = 2. Then xRy and yRz, but x and z
are not related because |x z| = 2 > 1.

(5) Let R be the relation {(a, b), (b, c), (a, c)} on the the set S = {a, b, c}.
(a) List the fewest number of ordered pairs you must add to R to form an equivalence relation.
As given, R fails to be reflexive, so we must add the elements (a, a), (b, b) and (c, c), bringing us to a total of
six elements:
{(a, a), (b, b), (c, c), (a, b), (b, c), (a, c)}
This expanded relation still fails to be symmetric; (a, b) R but (b, a)
/ R, for example. So we have to add
in (b, a), (c, b) and (c, a). At this point we have NINE elements, which is all possible ordered pairs of elements
from S. So we actually have R = S S.

(b) List the equivalence classes of the resulting equivalence relation.

Because R = S S, every element is equivalent to every other, so there is just one equivalence class, E = {a, b, c}.

(6) Let A, B and C be subsets of a universal set U . Prove A (B C) (A B) (A C).

This is [half of] Theorem 2.1.13(d). We proved the corresponding part (e) in class, and parts (c) and (f) were
writing exercises.

Let x A (B C). Then x A or x (B C).

If x A, then certainly x is in the union of A with any other set, so x A B and x A C.

Alternatively, if x B C then it is in both B and C, and hence is also in A B and A C.

In both cases we see x A B and x A C and therefore conclude x (A B) (A C), which proves
the claim.

Jonathan Rogness <rogness@math.umn.edu>

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