Used together, mood and figure provide a unique way of describing the logical structure of each of them. This method of differentiating syllogisms is significant because the validity of a categorical syllogism depends solely upon its logical form . If a syllogism is valid, it is impossible for its premises to be true while its conclusion is false, and that can be the case only if there is something faulty in its general form. Thus, the specific syllogisms that share any one of the 256 distinct syllogistic forms must either all be valid or all be invalid, no matter what their content happens to be. If we can think of another syllogism which has the same mood and figure but whose terms obviously make both premises true and the conclusion false, then it is evident that all syllogisms of this form, including the one with which we began, must be invalid.
All philosophers are logicians.
Therefore, All logicians are professors. All terriers are mammals. Therefore, All mammals are dogs. Both premises of this syllogism are true, while its conclusion is false, so it is clearly invalid. But then all syllogisms of the AAA-3 form, including the one about logicians and professors, must also be invalid.