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The Modus Ponens states that . Prove this using Boolean laws.
The Modus Ponens states that $(p \wedge (p \Rightarrow q)) \Rightarrow q$. Prove this using Boolean laws.
Answer
Answer
AITo prove: $(p \wedge (p \Rightarrow q)) \Rightarrow q \equiv 1$ (a tautology)
1. $p \Rightarrow q = p' + q$ (Conditional/Implication law)
2. $p \wedge (p\Rightarrow q) = p\cdot(p'+q)$ (substituting step 1)
3. $= p\cdot p' + p\cdot q$ (Distributive law)
4. $= 0 + p\cdot q$ (Complement law: $p\cdot p'=0$)
5. $= p\cdot q$ (Identity law)
6. $(p\wedge(p\Rightarrow q))\Rightarrow q = (p\cdot q)\Rightarrow q = (p\cdot q)'+q$ (Conditional law, using step 5)
7. $= p'+q'+q$ (De Morgan's law)
8. $= p'+(q'+q)$ (Associative law)
9. $= p'+1$ (Complement law: $q'+q=1$)
10. $= 1$ (Null/Dominance law)
Hence $(p\wedge(p\Rightarrow q))\Rightarrow q = 1$ for all values of $p,q$ — it is a tautology, which proves Modus Ponens. (Verified by truth table.)
From ISC 2026 Improvement Computer Science Paper 1, question 3(ii).