Turnstile (symbol)

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In mathematical logic and computer science the symbol $\vdash$ has taken the name turnstile because of its resemblance to a typical turnstile if viewed from above. It is also referred to as tee and is often read as "yields" or "proves". The symbol was first used by Gottlob Frege in his 1879 book on logic, Begriffsschrift^[1].

In TeX, the turnstile symbol $\vdash$ is obtained from the command \vdash. In Unicode, the turnstile symbol is called right tack and is at point 0x22A2^[2]. On a typewriter, a turnstile can be composed from a vertical bar (|) and a dash (-). In LaTeX there is the turnstile package, which issues this sign in many ways, and is capable of putting labels below or above it, in the correct places. The article A Tool for Logicians is a tutorial on using this package.

[edit] Meaning

The turnstile is a binary relation. It has several different meanings in different contexts:

In proof theory, the turnstile is used to denote provability. For example, if T is a formal theory and S is a particular sentence in the language of the theory then $T \vdash S$ means that S is provable from T^[3]. This usage is demonstrated in the article on propositional calculus.
In the typed lambda calculus, the turnstile is used to separate typing assumptions from the typing judgement.^[4]
In the study of formal languages, the turnstile is used to show that one string can be derived from another in a single step, according to the rules for the formal language.^[5]