Skip to main content Accessibility help
Internet Explorer 11 is being discontinued by Microsoft in August 2021. If you have difficulties viewing the site on Internet Explorer 11 we recommend using a different browser such as Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Apple Safari or Mozilla Firefox.

Last updated 20/06/24: Online ordering is currently unavailable due to technical issues. We apologise for any delays responding to customers while we resolve this. For further updates please visit our website https://www.cambridge.org/news-and-insights/technical-incident

Chapter 3: Logic

Chapter 3: Logic

pp. 79-142

Authors

David Liben-Nowell, Carleton College, Minnesota
  • Add bookmark
  • Cite
  • Share

Summary

Logic is the study of truth and falsity, of theorem and proof, of validreasoning in any context. It’s also the foundation of all of computerscience, the very reasoning that you use when you write the condition of anif statement in a Java program, or when you design an algorithm to beat agrandmaster at chess. More concretely, logic is also the foundation of allcomputers. At its heart, a computer is a collection ofcarefully arranged wires that transport electrons (which serve as a physicalmanifestation of information) and “gates” (which serve asphysical manifestations of logical operations to manipulate thoseelectrons).

About the book

Access options

Review the options below to login to check your access.

Purchase options

Purchasing is temporarily unavailable, please try again later

Have an access code?

To redeem an access code, please log in with your personal login.

If you believe you should have access to this content, please contact your institutional librarian or consult our FAQ page for further information about accessing our content.

Also available to purchase from these educational ebook suppliers