Lesson 2-3 BICONDITIONAL STATEMENTS AND DEFINITIONS
Conditional Statments Written in “if p, then q” form Example: “If a figure has three sides, then it is a triangle.” What is the converse of this statement? Converse: “If a figure is a triangle, then it has three sides.” Is the original statement true? Is the converse true?
Biconditional Statements If both the original statement AND it’s converse are true, then it is a biconditional statement. You can write a biconditional statement by joining the hypothesis and conclusion with the phrase “if and only if.” We can now write the statements in the previous slide as one biconditional statement. “A figure has three sides if and only if it is a triangle.” Can we switch p and q around? Yes! “A figure is a triangle if and only if it has three sides.”
Biconditional Statements What is the converse of the following true conditional? If the converse is also true, rewrite the statements as a biconditional. “If the sum of the measures of two angles is 180º, then the two angles are supplementary.” What is the converse? “If two angles are supplementary, then the sum of their measures is 180º” Is the converse also true? Yes! Write the two statements together as a biconditional statement “Two angles are supplementary if and only if the sum of their measures is 180º”
Key Concept: Biconditional Statements A biconditional combines p → q and q → p as p ↔ q ↔ is read as “if and only if.”
Identifying the Conditionals in a Biconditional What are the two conditional statements that form this biconditional? “A ray is an angle bisector if and only if it divides an angle into two congruent angles.” 1. “If a ray is an angle bisector, then it divides an angle into two congruent angles.” 2. “If a ray divides and angle into two congruent angles, then it is an angle bisector.”
What makes a good definition? A good definition is a biconditional statement that can help you identify or classify an object. A good definition has several important components: A good definition uses clearly understood terms. These terms should be commonly understood or already defined. A good definition is precise. Good definitions avoid words such as large, sort of, almost, etc.” A good definition is reversible. That means you can write a good definition as a true biconditional.
Identifying Good Definitions WWhich of the following is a good definition? a) A fish is an animal that swims b) Rectangles have four corners c) Giraffes are animals with very long necks d) A penny is a coin worth one cent