An Introduction to Symbolic Logic

Abstract

In this project, students will explore the basics of propositional and predicate logic based on the original historical source Principia Mathematica by Bertrand Russell and Alfred North Whitehead. It is a self-contained treatment of these topics and is appropriate for use in a first course in discrete mathematics at the freshman or sophomore level. The project may be used as a primary text for the unit on logic, and should require approximately three to four weeks of class time to complete. Developing the logical skills necessary to read and write mathematical proofs is emphasized throughout. Very few prerequisites are assumed. Students with a year course in calculus are more than prepared for the material contained here, and for the majority of exercises no more than a background in college algebra is required.