Problem Set
Problem 1. Prove that is a tautology using a truth table.
Solution
| disjunction | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| T | T | T | T | T |
| T | F | F | T | T |
| F | T | T | F | T |
| F | F | T | T | T |
All rows give So it is a tautology.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 1.1 and Section 1.4.
Problem 2. Convert to DNF.
Solution
The formula is a conjunction of two clauses. Distribute over :
.
This is in DNF (disjunction of four terms, each a conjunction of two literals).
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 1.6.
Problem 3. Negate: “For every real number There exists a real number such that .”
Solution
Original: .
Negation: I.e., “there exists a real number such that every Real number satisfies .”
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 1.2.
Problem 4. Prove that if and only if .
Solution
() Assume . Let . Then and . But implies Contradiction. So .
() Assume . Let . If Then So Contradiction. Hence Proving .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 2.1.
Problem 5. Show that the relation on defined by iff is even Is an equivalence relation. How many equivalence classes are there?
Solution
Reflexive: Which is even. ✓ Symmetric: If is even, then is even. ✓ Transitive: If and are even, then is even. ✓
The equivalence classes are [0] = \\{\mathrm{even\; integers{}\\} and [1] = \\{\mathrm{odd\; integers{}\\}. There are exactly 2 equivalence classes.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 2.2.
Problem 6. Let be and Be . Find and . Is injective?
Solution
.
.
Note So composition is not commutative.
is not injective: and But .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 2.3.
Problem 7. Prove that the set of all infinite binary sequences is uncountable.
Solution
Suppose the set of all infinite binary sequences is countable, so Where with each .
Define by (flip the -th bit of the -th Sequence). Then but for every (they differ in position ). This Contradicts . Therefore is uncountable.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 2.4.
Problem 8. Prove: the product of any two odd integers is odd.
Solution
Let and be odd. Then Which is odd.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 3.1.
Problem 9. Prove: if is odd, then is odd.
Solution
By contrapositive: assume is even, so . Then Which is Even.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 3.2.
Problem 10. Prove: is irrational.
Solution
Suppose in lowest terms. Then So Hence . Write . Then So Giving and . But then Contradicting lowest terms.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 3.3.
Problem 11. Prove by induction: for all .
Solution
Base case: : . ✓
Inductive step: Assume . Then
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 3.4.
Problem 12. Prove by strong induction that every integer is a product of primes.
Solution
Base case: is prime, hence a product of primes.
Inductive step: Assume every integer in is a product of primes (). If is prime, done. If is composite, then where . By the induction hypothesis, both and are products of primes, so is too.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 3.4 (strong induction).
Problem 13. A committee of 5 is to be chosen from 12 people. How many ways if two specific People must either both serve or neither serves?
Solution
Case 1: Both serve. Choose the remaining 3 from the other 10: . Case 2: Neither serves. Choose all 5 from the other 10: .
Total: .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 4.2.
Problem 14. How many integers from 1 to 500 are divisible by 3 or 7 but not by 5?
Solution
, , . Divisible by 3 or 7: .
, , . Divisible by 3 or 7 and 5: .
Divisible by 3 or 7 but not 5: .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 4.3.
Problem 15. How many solutions does have with ?
Solution
Substitute : with . By stars and bars: .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 4.4.
Problem 16. Prove that among any 13 people, at least 2 were born in the same month.
Solution
There are 12 months and 13 people. By the pigeonhole principle, at least one month contains at least people.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 4.5.
Problem 17. Verify that using the Catalan recurrence and the closed form.
Solution
By recurrence: .
By closed form: . ✓
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 4.6.
Problem 18. Find the chromatic number of (the 5-cycle) and justify.
Solution
is an odd cycle. It cannot be 2-coloured (an odd cycle requires 3 colours: colour the first Vertex 1, alternate 2 and 1 around, and the last vertex (5th) is adjacent to both the 4th (colour 2) And the 1st (colour 1), so it needs colour 3).
A 3-colouring exists: label vertices ; colour , , , .
Therefore .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 5.5.
Problem 19. In the bipartite graph with partitions and And edges —; —; —Verify Hall’s condition and find a matching covering .
Solution
Neighbourhoods: , , . , , . .
All satisfy . A matching: —, —, —.
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 5.7.
Problem 20. Solve with , .
Solution
Characteristic equation: Giving So , .
.
. .
So , Giving .
If you get this wrong, revise: Section 6.2 and Section 6.3.
Common Pitfalls
Section titled “Common Pitfalls”- Confusing and . means “if then ” (sufficient condition). means “if and only if” (necessary and sufficient). Fix: is equivalent to (contrapositive), not (converse).
- Wrong induction base case. The base case must be the smallest value for which the statement is claimed to hold. Fix: If the claim starts at , prove ; if at , prove .
- Confusing combinations and permutations with repetition. Standard formulas assume distinct, non-repeated items. Fix: With repetition: (ordered) or (unordered).
Worked Examples
Section titled “Worked Examples”Example 1: Proof by induction
Section titled “Example 1: Proof by induction”Problem. Prove that for all .
Solution. Base (): . ✓ Inductive step: assume true for . Then . ✓
Example 2: Graph theory
Section titled “Example 2: Graph theory”Problem. A connected planar graph has 6 vertices and 8 edges. How many faces does it have?
Solution. By Euler’s formula: . .
Summary
Section titled “Summary”- Logic: propositions, truth tables, quantifiers; implication, contrapositive, converse.
- Proof techniques: direct, contrapositive, contradiction, induction.
- Combinatorics: permutations, combinations, inclusion-exclusion, pigeonhole principle.
- Graph theory: Euler’s formula (), trees, planarity, chromatic number.
Cross-References
Section titled “Cross-References”| Topic | Site | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Discrete Mathematics (Overview) | WyattsNotes | View |
| Theory of Computation | WyattsNotes | View |
| Abstract Algebra | WyattsNotes | View |
| Number Theory | WyattsNotes | View |
| Discrete Mathematics — MIT OCW | MIT | View |