Nested Quantifiers

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 Illegal Quantifications
Once a variable has been bound, we cannot bind it again. For
example the expression
x ( x P (x) )
is nonsensical.
The interior expression (x P (x)) bounded x already and
therefore made it unobservable to the outside.
Going back to our example, the English equivalent would be:
Everybody is an everybody is an octopus.
Let P (x) = “x is an octopus”

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 Multivariate Quantification
Quantification involving only one variable is fairly
straightforward. Just a bunch of OR’s or a bunch of AND’s.
When two or more variables are involved each of which is bound
by a quantifier, the order of the binding is important and the
meaning often requires some thought.

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 Parsing Example
A: True.
For any “exists” we need to find a positive instance.
Since x is the first variable in the expression and is
“existential”, we need a number that works for
all other y, z. Set x = 0 (want to ensure that y -x
is not too small).
Now for each y we need to find a positive instance z
such that y - x ≥ z holds. Plugging in x = 0 we
need to satisfy y ≥ z so set z := y.

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 Parsing Example

Q: Did we have to set z := y ?

A: No. Could also have used the constant z := 0. Many other
valid solutions.
Q: Isn’t it simpler to satisfy
x y z (y - x ≥ z )
by setting x := y and z := 0 ?
A: No, this is illegal ! The existence of x comes before we know
about y. i.e., the scope of x is higher than the scope of y so
as far as y can tell, x is a constant and cannot affect x.

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 Multiple quantifiers
• You can have multiple quantifiers on a statement

• xy P(x, y)
– “For all x, there exists a y such that P(x,y)”
– Example: xy (x+y == 0)

• xy P(x,y)
– There exists an x such that for all y P(x,y) is true”
– xy (x*y == 0)

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 Order matters
Set the universe of discourse to be all natural numbers {0, 1, 2,
3, … }.
Let R (x,y ) = “x < y”.
Q1: What does x y R (x,y ) mean?
A1: x y R (x,y ):
“All numbers x admit a bigger number y ”
Q2: What does y x R (x,y ) mean?
A2: y x R (x,y ):
“Some number y is bigger than all x”

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 Order matters
Q: What’s the true value of each expression?
A: x y R (x,y ) is true.
How: Just set y = x + 1
y x R (x,y ) is false
How: y is never bigger than itself, so setting x = y is a
counterexample
Q: What if we have two quantifiers of the same kind? Does
order still matter?

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 Order matters –but not always
If we have two quantifiers of the same kind order is irrelevant.
x y is the same as y x because these are both interpreted
as “for every combination of x and y…”
x y is the same as y x because these are both interpreted
as “there is a pair x , y…”

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 Negating multiple quantifiers
• Recall negation rules for single quantifiers:
– ¬x P(x) = x ¬P(x)
– ¬x P(x) = x ¬P(x)
– Essentially, you change the quantifier(s), and negate what
it’s quantifying

• Examples:
– ¬(xy P(x,y))
• = x ¬y P(x,y)
• = xy ¬P(x,y)
– ¬(xyz P(x,y,z))
• = x¬yz P(x,y,z)
• = x¬yz P(x,y,z)
• = xyz ¬P(x,y,z)

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 Negating multiple quantifiers 2
• Consider ¬(xy P(x,y)) = xy ¬P(x,y)
– The left side is saying “for all x, there exists a y such that P
is true”
– To disprove it (negate it), you need to show that “there
exists an x such that for all y, P is false”

• Consider ¬(xy P(x,y)) = xy ¬P(x,y)

– The left side is saying “there exists an x such that for all y,
P is true”
– To disprove it (negate it), you need to show that “for all x,
there exists a y such that P is false”
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 Translating between English and
quantifiers
• Rosen, section 1.4, question 20

• The product of two negative integers is positive

– xy ((x<0)  (y<0) → (xy > 0))
– Why conditional instead of and?
• The average of two positive integers is positive
– xy ((x>0)  (y>0) → ((x+y)/2 > 0))
• The difference of two negative integers is not necessarily
negative
– xy ((x<0)  (y<0)  (x-y≥0))
– Why and instead of conditional?
• The absolute value of the sum of two integers does not
exceed the sum of the absolute values of these integers
– xy (|x+y| ≤ |x| + |y|) 14
 Translating between English and
quantifiers
• Rosen, section 1.4, question 24

• xy (x+y = y)
– There exists an additive identity for all real numbers
• xy (((x≥0)  (y<0)) → (x-y > 0))
– A non-negative number minus a negative number is greater
than zero
• xy (((x≤0)  (y≤0))  (x-y > 0))
– The difference between two non-positive numbers is not
necessarily non-positive (i.e. can be positive)
• xy (((x≠0)  (y≠0)) ↔ (xy ≠ 0))
– The product of two non-zero numbers is non-zero if and
only if both factors are non-zero
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 Rosen, section 1.4 question 30
• Rewrite these statements so that the negations
only appear within the predicates
a) yx P(x,y)
yx P(x,y)
yx P(x,y)
b) xy P(x,y)
xy P(x,y)
xy P(x,y)
c) y (Q(y)  x R(x,y))
y (Q(y)  x R(x,y))
y (Q(y)  (x R(x,y)))
y (Q(y)  x R(x,y))

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 Rosen, section 1.4 question 31
• Express the negations of each of these statements so that
all negation symbols immediately precede predicates.
a) xyz T(x,y,z)
(xyz T(x,y,z))
xyz T(x,y,z)
xyz T(x,y,z)
xyz T(x,y,z)
xyz T(x,y,z)
b) xy P(x,y)  xy Q(x,y)
(xy P(x,y)  xy Q(x,y))
xy P(x,y)  xy Q(x,y)
xy P(x,y)  xy Q(x,y)
xy P(x,y)  xy Q(x,y)

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