MATH 170 · Logic · If-Then Conditional Statements

The four cousins of if-then conditional logic

You are the logic engine. An if-then statement is a promise, and a promise only lives in four possible worlds. Nothing on this page tells you the answers. Stand in a world, decide for yourself whether the promise and its three look-alike cousins hold, and type T or F into the table. A stamp appears on a card only once you have earned it.

symbols, beside their English at all times: means "if … then" · ¬ means "not"

this world P = T Q = T
statementP → Q

true
contrapositive¬Q → ¬P

true
converseQ → P

true
inverse¬P → ¬Q

true

The truth table — earned, not given

Fill every cell yourself. Type T or F, or tap the pad below. Arrow keys move between cells; a wrong answer is marked and stays open for another try.

0 of 16 cells earned

Truth table for the statement, contrapositive, converse and inverse. Each cell is yours to fill in: type T or F.
PQ P→Q¬Q→¬P Q→P¬P→¬Q
answer the focused cell
everyday
formal logic
the formal pairs stage the worksheet's vacuous-truth rows — arithmetic and geometry set the world and lock the toggles

One new fact, one deduction hop

Suppose the promise P → Q itself is trustworthy. Then a single new fact buys you exactly one deduction. Learning P is true pushes forward (modus ponens); learning Q is false pushes backward along the contrapositive ¬Q → ¬P (modus tollens).

the worksheet's two examples:
Try: earn all sixteen cells. Only one world breaks the promise. Which cousin's column never disagrees with the statement's?