or what is not three-sided is not a triangle (whether it be rectilinear or not).

Second Example.

Let us treat by this method the following argument:‍—

“Blende is not an elementary substance; elementary substances are those which are undecomposable; blende, therefore, is decomposable.”

Taking our letters thus—

A = blende,
B = elementary substance,
C = undecomposable,

the premises are of the forms

A = Ab,(1)
B = C.(2)

No immediate substitution can be made; but if we take the contrapositive of (2) (see p. [86]), namely

b = c,(3)