2011-01-25
Original: 2011-01-25 on Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal
Transcript
Title: KNOW YOUR LOGICAL PROOFS:
The comic is a table. Each row is a named proof method, with the informal statement on the left and the formal/symbolic version on the right.
DIRECT PROOF:
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·P / THEREFORE Q
Right: P → Q / P / ∴ Q
PROOF BY CONTRAPOSITION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·NOT Q / THEREFORE NOT P
Right: P → Q / ¬Q / ∴ ¬P
PROOF BY CONTRADICTION
Left: ·IF NOT P THEN CONTRADICTION / THEREFORE P
Right: ¬P → F / ∴ P
PROOF BY TRADITION
Left: ·MY DAD Q / ·AND HIS DAD Q / ·AND HIS DAD Q / ·AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF MY SON R! / THEREFORE Q
Right: Q ← Q ← Q → ¬R (drawn as a branching ancestry diagram) / ∴ Q
PROOF BY INTIMIDATION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·FIRST PERSON TO SAY "NOT P" GETS MY FOOT UP HIS ASS / THEREFORE Q
Right: P → Q / S(x, ¬P) → (a drawing of a boot/foot) / ∴ Q
PROOF BY DISTRACTION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·HEY, LOOK AT THAT! / (then a lone Q drawn at the bottom left)
Right: P → Q / a wide-eyed face looking off to the side, with a long curving line/arrow that trails off the right edge of the panel (the distraction) / ∴ Q
PROOF BY EXTORTION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·THAT'S A NICE FAMILY YOU GOT. IT'D BE REAL SAD IF SOMETHING WERE TO... HAPPEN TO THEM. / THEREFORE Q
Right: P → Q, with a revolver pointing at the Q; a "clunk" sound-effect burst near the gun / ∴ Q
PROOF BY ERECTION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·MAN, P AND Q KINDA LOOK LIKE BOOBS / ·I'M SO LONELY / THEREFORE P AND Q AND ALSO (.Y.)
Right: P → Q / (P ∧ Q) ≤ ∞ / a sad face / ∴ P ∧ Q ∧ (.Y.)
(The long trailing line from PROOF BY DISTRACTION continues down the right margin of the comic with an arrowhead at the bottom.)
Votey:
NOTE: FOR PROOF BY TRADITION, [Q ← Q ← Q] MAY BE EXPRESSED WITH (a small drawing of an angry face) , AKA "ANGRY BEARDED Q"
The comic is a table. Each row is a named proof method, with the informal statement on the left and the formal/symbolic version on the right.
DIRECT PROOF:
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·P / THEREFORE Q
Right: P → Q / P / ∴ Q
PROOF BY CONTRAPOSITION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·NOT Q / THEREFORE NOT P
Right: P → Q / ¬Q / ∴ ¬P
PROOF BY CONTRADICTION
Left: ·IF NOT P THEN CONTRADICTION / THEREFORE P
Right: ¬P → F / ∴ P
PROOF BY TRADITION
Left: ·MY DAD Q / ·AND HIS DAD Q / ·AND HIS DAD Q / ·AND I'LL BE DAMNED IF MY SON R! / THEREFORE Q
Right: Q ← Q ← Q → ¬R (drawn as a branching ancestry diagram) / ∴ Q
PROOF BY INTIMIDATION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·FIRST PERSON TO SAY "NOT P" GETS MY FOOT UP HIS ASS / THEREFORE Q
Right: P → Q / S(x, ¬P) → (a drawing of a boot/foot) / ∴ Q
PROOF BY DISTRACTION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·HEY, LOOK AT THAT! / (then a lone Q drawn at the bottom left)
Right: P → Q / a wide-eyed face looking off to the side, with a long curving line/arrow that trails off the right edge of the panel (the distraction) / ∴ Q
PROOF BY EXTORTION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·THAT'S A NICE FAMILY YOU GOT. IT'D BE REAL SAD IF SOMETHING WERE TO... HAPPEN TO THEM. / THEREFORE Q
Right: P → Q, with a revolver pointing at the Q; a "clunk" sound-effect burst near the gun / ∴ Q
PROOF BY ERECTION
Left: ·IF P THEN Q / ·MAN, P AND Q KINDA LOOK LIKE BOOBS / ·I'M SO LONELY / THEREFORE P AND Q AND ALSO (.Y.)
Right: P → Q / (P ∧ Q) ≤ ∞ / a sad face / ∴ P ∧ Q ∧ (.Y.)
(The long trailing line from PROOF BY DISTRACTION continues down the right margin of the comic with an arrowhead at the bottom.)
Votey:
NOTE: FOR PROOF BY TRADITION, [Q ← Q ← Q] MAY BE EXPRESSED WITH (a small drawing of an angry face) , AKA "ANGRY BEARDED Q"
Alt text
A tall single-panel comic titled "KNOW YOUR LOGICAL PROOFS:" formatted as a table of joke proof methods, each with an informal English statement on the left and a mock-formal symbolic version on the right. DIRECT PROOF: if P then Q, P, therefore Q (P→Q, P, ∴Q). PROOF BY CONTRAPOSITION: if P then Q, not Q, therefore not P. PROOF BY CONTRADICTION: if not P then contradiction, therefore P. PROOF BY TRADITION: "My dad Q, and his dad Q, and his dad Q, and I'll be damned if my son R! Therefore Q," shown as a family-tree diagram. PROOF BY INTIMIDATION: "first person to say 'not P' gets my foot up his ass," with a boot drawn in the formula. PROOF BY DISTRACTION: "Hey, look at THAT!" with a wide-eyed face glancing away and a line that trails off the page. PROOF BY EXTORTION: a mafia-style threat against "a nice family you got," illustrated with a revolver pointed at the symbol Q and a "clunk" effect. PROOF BY ERECTION: "P and Q kinda look like boobs... I'm so lonely... therefore P and Q and also (.Y.)," the last being ASCII-art breasts, beside a sad face. The trailing distraction line snakes down the right margin to an arrowhead at the bottom. Votey aftercomic: a handwritten note reading "NOTE: FOR PROOF BY TRADITION, [Q←Q←Q] MAY BE EXPRESSED WITH" followed by a tiny angry face icon, "AKA 'ANGRY BEARDED Q'."
Transcribed by Claude Opus 4.8.