Consider the following sentence:
If the Standard Model of particle physics is valid, then neutrinos have zero mass and travel at
the speed of light.
a. Identify the primitive statements in this sentence (those that cannot be decomposed into
simpler parts connected by logical connectives), and assign variable names to them.
b. Write the statement symbolically, using the variable names you chose.
c. Write the symbolic negation of your answer in (b), then simplify it by applying all applicable
negation rules.
d. Translate your answer to part (c) into clear, grammatically correct English.
Solution
a. primitive statements: S = the standard model of particle physics is valid N =
neutrinos have zero mass and travel at the speed of light b. S --> N c. !S --> !N d. If the
standard model of particle physics is not valid, then neutrinos do not have zero mass and do not
travel at the speed of light