What does the implication "if P, then Q" signify?

The phrase "if P, then Q" indicates a conditional relationship where P is the condition and Q is the result or consequence that follows if the condition is met. This means that whenever P occurs, Q will also occur as a direct implication of P being true.

This relationship can be visualized as a cause-and-effect scenario where P serves as the cause leading directly to the effect Q. Therefore, if you know that P is true, you can confidently assert that Q will also be true as a result of that. This is a foundational concept in logical reasoning and is crucial for understanding how conditions and outcomes relate to one another in logical statements and arguments.