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Discrete Structures
ITCP 213

Chapter 1
Nested Quantifiers
Nested quantifiers
Two quantifiers are nested if one is within the
scope of the other.
P(x,y)
Example:
 x y (x + y = 0)

Q(x)
x Q(x)
Q(x) is y P(x,y)
P(x,y) is (x + y = 0)
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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into English.
 x  y (x + y = y + x)
Domain: real numbers

Solution:
For all real numbers x and y, x + y = y + x.

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into English.
 x y (x = - y)
Domain: real numbers

Solution:
For every real number x, there is a real
number y such that x = - y.

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into English.
 x  y ((x > 0)  (y < 0)  (xy < 0))

Domain: real numbers

Solution:
For every real numbers x and y, if x is positive and y
is negative then xy is negative.
The product of a positive real number and a negative
real number is always a negative real number.
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The order of quantifiers (example)
Assume P(x,y) is (xy = yx).
Translate the following statement into English.
 x y P(x,y) domain: real numbers

Solution:
For all real numbers x, for all real numbers y,
xy = yx.

For every pair of real numbers x, y, xy = yx.

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The order of quantifiers

The order of nested universal quantifiers

in a statement without other quantifiers
can be changed without changing the
meaning of the quantified statement.

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The order of quantifiers (example)
Assume P(x,y) is (xy = 6).
Translate the following statement into English.
 x y P(x,y) domain: integers

Solution:
There is an integer x for which there is an integer
y that xy = 6.

There is a pair of integers x, y for which xy = 6.

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The order of quantifiers (example)
Assume P(x,y) is (x + y = 10).

 x  y P(x,y) domain: real numbers

For all real numbers x there is a real number y such that x + y
= 10.
True (y = 10 - x)

 yx P(x,y) domain: real numbers

There is a real number y such that for all real numbers x, x + y
= 10.
False
So,  x  y P(x,y) and  y  x P(x,y) are not logically equivalent.
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The order of quantifiers
Assume P(x,y,z) is (x + y = z).

 x y  z P(x,y,z) domain: real numbers

For all real numbers x and y there is a real number z such that
x + y = z.
True

z x   y P(x,y,z) domain: real numbers

There is a real number z such that for all real numbers x and y
x + y = z.
False
So,  x  y  z P(x,y,z) and  z  x  y P(x,y,z) are not logically
equivalent.
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The order of quantifiers

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
“The sum of two positive integers is always positive.”

Solution:
Translate it to a logical expression
“For all integers x, y, if x and y are positive, then x+y is
positive.”

 x  y ((x > 0)  (y > 0) (x + y > 0)) domain: integers

 x  y (x + y > 0) domain: positive integers

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into a logical expression.
“Every real number except zero has a multiplicative inverse.”
A multiplicative inverse of a real number x is a real number y such that
xy = 1.

Solution:
Translate it to a logical expression
“For every real number x, if x != 0, then there is a real number
y such that xy = 1.”

 x ((x != 0)   y (xy = 1)) domain: real numbers

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into English.
 x (C(x) ∨  y (C(y)  F(x,y)))
C(x): x has a computer.
F(x,y): x and y are friends.
Domain of x and y: all students

Solution:
“For every student x, x has a computer or there is a student y
such that y has a computer and x and y are friends.”

“Every student has a computer or has a friend that has a

computer.”

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into English.
 x  y  z ((F(x,y)  F(x,z) (y != z))   F(y,z))
F(x,y): x and y are friends.
Domain of x, y and z: all students

Solution:
“There is a student x such that for all students y and all
students z, if x and y are friends, x and z are friend and z
and y are not the same student, then y and z are not
friend.”

“There is a student none of whose friends are also friends with

each other.”
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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into logical expression.
“If a person is a student and is computer science major, then
this person takes a course in mathematics. ”

Solution:
Determine individual propositional functions
S(x): x is a student.
C(x): x is a computer science major.
T(x,y): x takes a course y.
Translate the sentence into logical expression
 x ((S(x)  C(x))   y T(x,y))
Domain of x: all people
Domain of y: all courses in mathematics
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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into logical expression.
“Everyone has exactly one best friend. ”

Solution:
Determine individual propositional function
B(x,y): y is the best friend of x.
Express the English statement using variable and individual
propositional function
For all x, there is y who is the best friend of x and for every
person z, if person z is not person y, then z is not the best
friend of x.
Translate the sentence into logical expression
 x  y (B(x,y)   z ((z != y)   B(x,z))
Domain of x, y and z: all people
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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into logical expression.
“There is a person who has taken a flight on every airline in the
world. ”

Solution:
Determine individual propositional function
F(x,f): x has taken flight f.
A(f,a): flight f is on airline a.
Translate the sentence into logical expression
 x  a  f (F(x,f)  A(f,a))
Domain of x: all people
Domain of f: all flights
Domain of a: all airlines

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Nested quantifiers (example)
Translate the following statement into logical expression.
“There is a person who has taken a flight on every airline in the
world. ”

Solution:
Determine individual propositional function
R(x,f,a): x has taken flight f on airline a.
Translate the sentence into logical expression
 x  a f R(x,f,a)
Domain of x: all people
Domain of f: all flights
Domain of a: all airlines

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Negating nested quantifiers
(example)
 (∀xP(x)) ∃xP(x)
(∃xP(x)) ∀x(P(x))
What is the negation of the following statement?
∀x ∃ y (x = -y)
Solution:
∀x P(x) P(x) = ∃y (x = -y)
∃x  P(x)
∃x (∃y (x = -y))
∃x (∀y (x = -y))
∃x ∀y (x != -y)
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Negating nested quantifiers
(example)
Translate the following statement in logical expression?
“There is not a person who has taken a flight on every airline.”
Solution:
Translate the positive sentence into logical expression
∃ x ∀ a ∃f (F(x,f)  A(f,a)) by previous example
F(x,f): x has taken flight f. A(f,a): flight f is on airline a.
Find the negation of the logical expression
 ∃ x ∀ a ∃f (F(x,f)  A(f,a))
∀ x  ∀ a ∃f (F(x,f)  A(f,a))
∀ x ∃a  ∃f (F(x,f)  A(f,a))
∀ x ∃a ∀ f  (F(x,f)  A(f,a))
∀ x ∃a ∀f ( F(x,f) ∨  A(f,a))
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