Question

What is a biconditional statement

Answer 1

also represented by a iff b or a<->b
a biconditional statement means that both if a then b and if b then a.

For instance: if and only if I am female, then I have a x chromosome.
this means that : if I am female, then I have a x chromosome
but also: if I have a y chromosome, I am female.

Answer 2

the difference from a conditional and a biconditional is this: a biconditional goes two ways. a conditional only goes once.

for instance:
if I am older than 40, than I am an adult,
that means that given that I am older than 40, than I will be an adult.
BUT if I am an adult, that does NOT NECESSARILY mean that I am older than 40.

In this case that statement is conditional, but not biconditional.

You usually express a biconditional statement with the prefix if and only if.