Tuesday 9/17

Tuesday 9/17

Examination I

Today we take the first of our examinations. Please note that this examination counts the least of all five of the exams: A mere 50 points out of a total 1000 possible. So in theory it is possible to do very poorly on this exam and still do well in the class. In theory.

Also note that under the onslaught of Kerry's browbeating I allowed a single 4inch x 6inch handwritten note-card for the examination. I worry that was not the right move, because if you are spending all of your time looking up rules, you'll never be able to finish the exam. Your best bet is to work so many problems in preparation for the exam that you only once in awhile have to glance at the card to jog your memory.

I haven't written the exam as yet, but I expect it to be organized something like the following.

  1. Basic Logic Concepts (Inductive vs Deductive, Strength vs Weakness, Validity vs Invalidity, Validity vs Soundness, etc.)
  2. Defining PC Validity and PC Theoremhood by the Method of Truth Tables
  3. Showing PC Arguments Valid by the Method of Truth Tables
  4. Showing PC Theorems Necessarily True by the Method of Truth Tables
  5. Defining PC Validity and PC Theoremhood by the Method of Analytic Tableaux
  6. Showing PC Arguments Valid by the Method of Analytic Tableaux
  7. Showing PC Theorems Necessarily True by the Method of Analytic Tableaux
  8. Translating English Arguments into PC and testing for validity.

That seems a whole lot more daunting than perhaps it should. Note that it all really boils down to the truth tropic properties of language. Next time we will examine the truth phobic properties of language. And how to identify and avoid them. Or use them, if we want to be evil.