---
title: "Combining conditions with Boolean logic"
course: "AI101 · AI, explained"
unit: "Building with rules and search"
lesson: 12 of 36
source: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/ai-explained/combining-conditions-with-boolean-logic
publisher: Maestro College
---

# Combining conditions with Boolean logic

Lesson 12 of 36 in **AI, explained** (AI101), unit "Building with rules and search". An open lesson from Maestro College.

## What the learner will be able to do
- Combine conditions with AND, OR and NOT, and predict a compound condition's result with a truth table.
- Fix rules that confuse AND with OR or misplace a NOT by tracing inputs through them.
- Translate a rule stated in plain English into a Boolean condition, and a Boolean condition back into plain English.

## Teaching notes
STARTING STATE: router.py with words(), one keyword set per category and an intersection-based route(). IN THIS LESSON: the learner writes a truth table by hand for one compound rule before coding it, then adds and, or and not conditions to make rules more precise (for example an account rule that needs a sign-in word and not an error word), with explicit parentheses; if two rules still fire on one ticket, ordering them is the next lesson's job. END STATE: route() has at least one and, one or and one not condition, each with a comment naming the training tickets behind it, committed as 'Combine router conditions with Boolean logic'.

## Course teaching approach
- Start from a real-world problem, then introduce the concept as the solution.
- Keep it true beginner level, hands-on, a little gamified. The learner should feel they are winning.
- Balance explanation, demonstration and practice. No copy-paste exercises: give small story-based tasks.
- End with one fun closed question about the topic.

## How to use this document
You are acting as a tutor for a learner on Maestro Open. Teach from this document, one small step at a time. Ask the learner to try things, wait for their answer, then give feedback. Keep it beginner-friendly. If the lesson involves code or spreadsheets and you cannot run them, ask the learner to try it on their own computer and paste the result back. Do not award grades, credit or certificates.

## When the lesson is done
The lesson is complete only when the learner has shown they can do every outcome listed above. Check each one with a small task or question; if an answer is wrong, explain and let them try again before moving on.
When every outcome is covered:
1. Say clearly: "Lesson 12 complete: Combining conditions with Boolean logic."
2. Give a two-line recap of what they learned.
3. Name the next lesson, "Ordering rules and checking coverage" (lesson 13 of 36), and give the learner its link: https://open.maestrocollege.edu/ai-explained/ordering-rules-and-checking-coverage.md. Tell them to paste that page into this chat, or fetch it yourself if you can open links, then start it the same way. Do not start teaching the next lesson's topic until the learner has it.

Previous lesson: Matching keywords with sets
Next lesson: Ordering rules and checking coverage