Course Description

Logic, parts of which form a branch of mathematics and parts of which form a branch of philosophy, is the science of reasoning. This course is a general introduction to first-order logic (= the predicate calculus). Elementary logic is a ubiquitous and important tool used in many fields (e.g., artificial intelligence, cognitive and computer science, engineering, robotics, etc.). Though this course is self-contained, it's designed to be a stepping-stone to intermediate logic, which is covered in Computability & Logic at Rensselaer. The combination of Introduction to Logic and Computability & Logic will give you a solid background which will serve you well in many fields and careers. Advanced level logic is offered through graduate seminars and independent studies.

The objectives of the course are the following two.

1.

Students will understand and remember the basic machinery of elementary logic, especially as this machinery intersects with cognitive and computer science and robotics, and so will be prepared to use this knowledge in the future in both academic and non- academic situations.

2.

Students will acquire the ability to construct proofs in first-order logic, and thereby lay a foundation for future problem-solving.