biconditional
1
9.9
- noun
- /ˌbaɪkənˈdɪʃənl/
- Specialized
- In logic, a biconditional is true only if both statements are either true or false.
Examples
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The teacher explained how the biconditional connects two statements with the phrase 'if and only if'.
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You can use a biconditional to show that two conditions are logically equivalent.
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In logic, a biconditional is true only if both statements are either true or false.
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The statement is a biconditional.
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In logic, a biconditional connects two statements.
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The teacher explained how the biconditional connects two statements with the phrase 'if and only if'.
-
You can use a biconditional to show that two conditions are logically equivalent.
Synonyms
2
9.9
Two statements are true exactly in the same cases
Surface Forms
Morphology
biconditional = conditional (semi-transparent) = bi + condition + al
The word is built transparently from bi- + conditional, but the logical sense 'true in both directions' is specialized and not fully predictable for an average learner.
Etymology
A biconditional gets its name from bi- 'two' and conditional 'if' or 'condition'. It is like a two-way 'if and only if' link between statements, so the whole statement is true only when both parts are true or both are false.