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Revision as of 18:41, 9 April 2007 editCharles Matthews (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators360,248 edits →Trivia: cutting interesting signed contribution, presumably from Layman Allen; some changes incorporated← Previous edit Revision as of 18:42, 9 April 2007 edit undoCharles Matthews (talk | contribs)Autopatrolled, Administrators360,248 editsm →TriviaNext edit →
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==Trivia== ==Trivia==
''WFF'' is the basis for an esoteric pun used in the name of a game product: "WFF 'n PROOF: The Game of Modern Logic," by Layman Allen<ref></ref>, developed while he was at ] (he was later a professor at the ]). The suite of games is designed to teach the principles of symbolic logic to children (in ])<ref>More technically, ] using the subordinate-proof techniques of ].</ref>. Its name is an accepted pun on '']'', a nonsense word used as a ] at ] made popular in ''The Whiffenpoof Song''. ''WFF'' is the basis for an esoteric pun used in the name of a game product: "WFF 'N PROOF: The Game of Modern Logic," by Layman Allen<ref></ref>, developed while he was at ] (he was later a professor at the ]). The suite of games is designed to teach the principles of symbolic logic to children (in ])<ref>More technically, ] using the subordinate-proof techniques of ].</ref>. Its name is an accepted pun on '']'', a nonsense word used as a ] at ] made popular in ''The Whiffenpoof Song''.


==Notes== ==Notes==

Revision as of 18:42, 9 April 2007

For the New Zealand government policy, see Working for Families.

In logic, WFF (pronounced "wiff") is an abbreviation for well-formed formula. Given a formal grammar, a WFF is any string that is generated by that grammar.

For example, in propositional logic the sequence of symbols ( ( α → β ) → ( ¬ β → ¬ α ) ) {\displaystyle ((\alpha \rightarrow \beta )\rightarrow (\neg \beta \rightarrow \neg \alpha ))} is a WFF because it is grammatically correct. The sequence of symbols ( ( α → β ) → ( β β ) ) α ) ) {\displaystyle ((\alpha \rightarrow \beta )\rightarrow (\beta \beta ))\alpha ))} is not a WFF, because it does not conform to the grammar of propositional calculus.

In formal logic, proofs are sequences of WFFs with certain properties, and the final WFF in the sequence is what is proven.

Trivia

WFF is the basis for an esoteric pun used in the name of a game product: "WFF 'N PROOF: The Game of Modern Logic," by Layman Allen, developed while he was at Yale Law School (he was later a professor at the University of Michigan). The suite of games is designed to teach the principles of symbolic logic to children (in Polish notation). Its name is an accepted pun on whiffenpoof, a nonsense word used as a cheer at Yale University made popular in The Whiffenpoof Song.

Notes

  2. More technically, propositional logic using the subordinate-proof techniques of Frederic B. Fitch.

See also

External links

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