Formal logic is the fundamental mathematics of computer science. Its impact ranges from the design of programming languages and hardware, to the specification and verification of critical software, to artificial intelligence systems that can reason. This course introduces propositional and predicate logic. We discuss how to reason within these logics, how to reason about their properties and limitations, and how to use them to model situations of interest in both natural language and computer science applications. We explore how computational thinking can help us solve logic problems.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- Model natural language and computer science applications using logical notation.
- Construct formal proofs in logical calculi.
- Apply computational methods to solve logical problems.
- Analyse the properties of logics, including the relationship between logical calculi and mathematical semantics.
- Understand the relationships between different logics with applications to computer science.
Indicative Assessment
- Weekly exercises conducted during tutorials (50) [LO 1,2,3]
- Final exam (50) [LO 1,2,3,4,5]
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from lectures, tutorials; and independent student research, reading and writing.
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
None
Assumed Knowledge
Logical and mathematical notation and basic proof techniques, as taught in an introductory university course on mathematics or theoretical computer science, such as MATH6005 or COMP6260.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 2
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5280 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $6720 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
First Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3807 | 17 Feb 2025 | 24 Feb 2025 | 31 Mar 2025 | 23 May 2025 | In Person | View |