Statement Pattern

In mathematical logic we abbreviate simple statements using single letters such as $p$, $q$, $r$, ... — these are called statement letters. When statement letters are combined using the logical connectives ($\sim$, $\wedge$, $\vee$, $\rightarrow$, $\leftrightarrow$) in a grammatically sensible way, the resulting expression is called a statement pattern — also called a proposition. For example, $p \rightarrow q$, $p \wedge q$, and $\sim p \vee q$ are all statement patterns; the individual letters $p$ and $q$ that appear inside such a pattern are called its prime components — the atomic building blocks whose individual truth values ultimately determine the truth value of the entire pattern. …