Implication

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Implication

Implication is the logical operation corresponding to "IF ... THEN". It expresses that if one proposition holds, then another must also hold.

Symbols

  • p → q (standard notation)
  • p ⊃ q (alternative)
  • IF p THEN q (verbal)

Definition

The implication p → q is false only when p is true and q is false. In all other cases it is true.

Additionally, p → q can be reformed into ¬ p ∨ q

Truth Table

p q p → q
T T T
T F F
F T T
F F T

Examples

  • If p = "It rains" and q = "The ground is wet",
 then p → q = "If it rains, then the ground is wet".
  • In programming, implications are usually built using combinations of operators, e.g. in Python: (not p) or q.