Understand what truth-functional logic is.

Achieve familiarity with the basic elements of truth-functional logic.

• Know what claim variables are and how they are symbolized.
• Learn the precise (truth-table) definitions of negation, conjunction, disjunction, and the conditional.
• Know the basic rules for constructing a truth table.
• Understand how to represent all possible combinations of truth values for the individual sentences in a complex claim.

Be able to use truth-functional logic to represent and work with more complex sentences.

• Keep the distinction between "if" and "only if" clear and in mind.
• Understand what necessary and sufficient conditions are.
• Feel comfortable translating such natural-language expressions as "unless" and "either" into exact logical symbols.

Understand how to represent and work with truth-functional arguments.

• Know how a truth table can demonstrate when two claims are logically equivalent to one another.
• Understand how a truth table displays an argument's validity or invalidity.
• Attain mastery at using truth tables to evaluate an argument's validity.
• Learn the short table method for checking validity.

Understand the method of deduction and be able to use it to determine an argument's validity.

• Understand what a deduction is and how it proves its conclusion.
• Learn when and under what conditions to use the Group I rules for elementary valid argument patterns.
• Memorize all those Group I rules, including: modus ponens, modus tollens, the chain argument, disjunctive arguments, simplification, conjunction, addition, constructive dilemma, destructive dilemma.

Understand how to identify and work with truth-functional equivalences in the context of argument deductions.

• Memorize all Group II rules for truth-functional equivalence, including: double negation, commutation, implication, contraposition, DeMorgan's law, exportations, distribution, and tautology.
• Learn what a truth-functional equivalence is and how Group II rules are applied differently from Group I rules.

Understand what the method of conditional proof is and how it can be used to show the truth of conditional claims.

• Learn the basic strategy by which a conditional proof constructs an if-then sentence.
• Master the steps of a conditional proof.