CPC151/CPM151 1

Fundamentals of Logic and Artificial Intelligence

School of Computer Sciences

Session 2019/2020, Semester II

CPC151/CPM151

Tutorial 1

1. Classify the following propositions as simple, compound (conjunctive, disjunctive, conditional

propositions) or not a proposition:
i. Drive slowly when there is heavy rain.
ii. 17 is an odd number and a prime number.
iii. If 2+3+7 is divisible by 3, then 237 is divisible by 3.
iv. Orange is a good source of vitamin C.
v. I suggest that you clean the plate before you use it.
vi. Let us recycle used papers.
vii. The Amazon Basin produces roughly 20% of the Earth’s oxygen, creates much of its own rainfall, and
harbors many unknown species.
viii. There is something wrong with the bulb or the wiring.

2. State the type of indicator for the following terms:

i. For the reason that
ii. Implies that
iii. Consequently
iv. May be inferred from
v. We may infer
vi. In as much as
vii. Accordingly
viii. As a result

3.Each of the following passages contains an argument. List the premises and conclusion in the form of
separate propositions. Identify the premises and the conclusion. The indicator words, if any, can be
dropped.
i. Every law is an evil, for every law is an infraction of liberty.

ii. Without forests, orang-utans cannot survive. They spend more than 95 percent of their time in the
trees, which, along with vines and termites, provide more than 99 percent of their food. Their only
habitats formed by the tropical rain forests of Borneo and Sumatra.

iii. To boycott a business or a city (as a protest) is not an act of violence, but it can cause economic
harm to many people. The greater the economic impact of a boycott, the more impressive the
statement it makes. At the same time, the economic consequences are likely to be shared by people
who are innocent of any wrongdoing, and who can ill afford the loss of income: hotel workers, cab
drivers, merchants. The boycott weapon ought to be used sparingly, if for no other reason than the
harm it can cause such bystanders.
 CPC151/CPM151 2
Fundamentals of Logic and Artificial Intelligence

4.Determine whether the following arguments are best interpreted as deductive or inductive.
i. Because triangle A is congruent with triangle B, and triangle A is isosceles, it follows that triangle B is
isosceles.

ii. The Encyclopedia Britannica has an article on symbiosis*. (*Symbiosis basically means ‘living together’
more in the context of marine biology) The Encyclopedia Americana, like the Britannica is an excellent
reference work. Therefore, the Americana probably also has an article on symbiosis.

5.Determine whether the following arguments are valid or invalid.

I. All television networks are media companies. NBC is a television network. Therefore, NBC is a media
company.

II. All banks are financial institutions. Wells Fargo is a financial institution. Therefore Wells Fargo is a
bank.