Due September 17, 1997
1. We will finish up the part of the course
devoted
to logic and critical thinking this week. Please finish reading all four
units of Chapter 1. One of the central ideas of this chapter is the
analysis
of deductive arguments and the distinction between valid/invalid
arguments
and sound/unsound arguments. If you have trouble with these ideas,
please
ask in class or see me in office hours.
2. Please do the following problems from the book. Remember that the
problems
listed below are a minimum recommended dose. You should do more if you
need
more practice!
Just For Fun
A devious fellow lives in Manhattan and has a girl friend in Brooklyn
and
a girl friend in the Bronx. Each Saturday he decides which girl friend
to
visit by going to his local train station and getting on the first train
that arrives: if it goes to Brooklyn, he visits his Brooklyn girl friend
and if it goes to the Bronx, he visits his Bronx girl friend. A train to
the Brooklyn leaves punctually every half hour and a train to the Bronx
leaves punctually every half hour. Wanting to visit both girl friends
equally
often, the fellow arrives at his train station at random times each
Saturday.
And yet after many weeks of this practice, he finds that he has visited
his Bronx girl friend far more times than he has visited his
Brooklyn
girl friend. What is the explanation for this?