This article answers two questions (posed in the literature), each concerning
the guaranteed existence of proofs free of double negation. A proof is free of
double negation if none of its deduced steps contains a term of the form
n(n(t)) for some term t, where n denotes negation. The first question asks for
conditions on the hypotheses that, if satisfied, guarantee the existence of a
double-negation-free proof when the conclusion is free of double negation. The
second question asks about the existence of an axiom system for classical
propositional calculus whose use, for theorems with a conclusion free of double
negation, guarantees the existence of a double-negation-free proof. After
giving conditions that answer the first question, we answer the second question
by focusing on the Lukasiewicz three-axiom system. We then extend our studies
to infinite-valued sentential calculus and to intuitionistic logic and
generalize the notion of being double-negation free. The double-negation proofs
of interest rely exclusively on the inference rule condensed detachment, a rule
that combines modus ponens with an appropriately general rule of substitution.
The automated reasoning program OTTER played an indispensable role in this
study.Comment: 32 pages, no figure