Setup and Rule Diagrams

[jjplane1117]

Im not sure if you exactly answered this question but why is it that rule 1 is the biconditional logic and rule 2 is just the simple conditional logic. What makes them different?

when i was taking this (and similar games like this) i find it difficult to know when a rule is biconditional and when it is simple. Thank you!

[Luke Haqq]

Hi jjplane1117!

The short answer is: if you encounter the language "if and only if" (or "if but only if"), then you know you're dealing with a biconditional statement. If it just says "if," then it's a normal conditional statement.

Notice here that the first rule uses "if but only if" language. The second rule, by contrast, just uses "if." To unpack the biconditional statement, we have "Grace helps move the sofa if, but only if, Heather helps move the recliner." This is saying (1) if Heather helps move the recliner, then Grace helps move the sofa, and (2) Grace helps move the sofa only if Heather helps move the recliner.

If you look back on page one, Steve also provides a useful discussion of biconditional reasoning.