Tuesday, 28 October 2025

Exercise (2.2).5

Show that the following statements are false (that is they are not equal):

(a) $⌊2 × x⌋ = 2 × ⌊x⌋$

(b) $⌈2 × x⌉ = 2 × ⌈x⌉$

(c) $⌈x⌉ = ⌊x⌋ + 1$


We will show the statements are false by providing a counter-example.


(a) Choosing $x=0.5$

$\lfloor 2 \times 0.5 \rfloor = \lfloor 1 \rfloor = 1$

$2 \times \lfloor 0.5 \rfloor = 2 \times 0 = 0$


(b) Choosing $x=0.5$

$\lceil 2 \times 0.5 \rceil = \lceil 1 \rceil = 1$

$2 \times \lceil 0.5 \rceil = 2 \times 1 = 2$


(c) Choosing $x=1$

$\lceil 1 \rceil = 1$

$\lfloor 1 \rfloor + 1 = 1 + 1 = 2$