How to Read Truth Tables

A truth table is a two dimensional grid that assigns true or false to individual statements and to combinations of statements.

You combine statements by using the logical operators. The basic logical operators are ¬, ∧, ∨ (not, and, or). In general, they have the same meaning as their equivalents in natural language. However, the conditional operator, →, can be tricky. But don't worry about that right now. The ↔ operator defines equivalence.

Truth tables define, or illustrate, the logical operators that they describe. If you step back from their detail and think of them as a whole, as an image or picture, their meaning may become clear.