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Glite Dictionary
propositional calculus

propositional calculus

9.9
A part of logic that studies simple statements and how they link using and or not
  • noun
  • /ˌprɒpəˈzɪʃənəl ˈkælkjʊləs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : cálculo proposicional
  • The professor explained the fundamental concepts of propositional calculus to the new students in the philosophy department.

Truth that you could prove in the propositional calculus.

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Examples

  • The first volume was huge and just did propositional calculus, which Aristotle had done some of also.

    MIT OpenCourseWare

  • In our mathematics course, we will cover propositional calculus, focusing on how to analyze logical statements.

  • To understand logical reasoning, students need a solid grasp of propositional calculus and how to use logical connectives.

Synonyms

propositional logic
vspropositional calculus
  • Specialized
8.9

A study of sentences that are true or false using words like and, not

is the identical concept but often used as the standard technical name

Surface Forms

propositional calculus singular
propositional calculi plural

Morphology

propositional + calculus

The noun phrase literally reads as a 'calculus' (a formal system or method) concerning 'propositions', so knowing the constituents lets a learner infer it is a systematic study of propositions and their relations. However, the technical sense of 'calculus' (a formal system, not just the mathematical course) and the abstract term 'propositional' make the phrase specialised; therefore comprehension is partial rather than immediately obvious to a B1 learner.

Etymology

Propositional calculus comes from its parts: propositional, about a simple 'proposition' or statement, and calculus, an old word that meant using pebbles to count and later a method of calculation. So it paints the image of doing calculations with statements using 'and', 'or' and 'not', which is why it names the area of logic that studies how statements connect.