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Resolution Refutation

The document discusses resolution and refutation as proof techniques. Resolution works by combining two clauses containing conflicting terms and canceling them out to derive new clauses. Refutation proves goals by negating them and adding them to the given clauses to show a contradiction. An example is provided to demonstrate how resolution and refutation can be used to prove statements from initial clauses provided in propositional logic and CNF form.

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29 views

Resolution Refutation

The document discusses resolution and refutation as proof techniques. Resolution works by combining two clauses containing conflicting terms and canceling them out to derive new clauses. Refutation proves goals by negating them and adding them to the given clauses to show a contradiction. An example is provided to demonstrate how resolution and refutation can be used to prove statements from initial clauses provided in propositional logic and CNF form.

Uploaded by

palanirec
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Resolution Refutation

Resolution is one kind of proof technique that works this way - (i) select two clauses that contain
conflicting terms (ii) combine those two clauses and (iii) cancel out the conflicting terms.

For example we have following statements,


    (1) If it is a pleasant day you will do strawberry picking
    (2) If you are doing strawberry picking you are happy.

Above statements can be written in propositional logic like this - 


  (1) strawberry_picking ← pleasant
  (2) happy ← strawberry_picking

And again these statements can be written in CNF like this - 


  (1) (strawberry_picking ∨~pleasant) ∧
  (2) (happy ∨~strawberry_picking)

By resolving these two clauses and cancelling out the conflicting terms 'strawberry_picking'
and '~strawberry_picking',  we can have one new clause,
  (3) ~pleasant ∨ happy

When we write above new clause in infer or implies form, we have 


'pleasant → happy' or 'happy ← pleasant'
i.e. If it is a pleasant day you are happy.
• But sometimes from the collection of the statements we have, we want to know the answer of this question -
"Is it possible to prove some other statements from what we actually know?“
• In order to prove this we need to make some inferences and those other statements can be shown true using
Refutation proof method i.e. proof by contradiction using Resolution.
• So for the asked goal we will negate the goal and will add it to the given statements to prove the
contradiction.

• Let's see an example to understand how Resolution and Refutation work. In below example,
• Part(I) represents the English meanings for the clauses,
• Part(II) represents the propositional logic statements for given english sentences,
• Part(III) represents the Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF) of Part(II) and
• Part(IV) shows some other statements we want to prove using Refutation proof method.
• Part(I) : English Sentences Part (II) : Propositional Statements
• (1) If it is sunny and warm day you (1) enjoy ← sunny ∧ warm
will enjoy.
• (2) If it is warm and pleasant day (2)strawberry_picking←warm ∧ pleasant
you will do strawberry picking
• (3) If it is raining then no (3) ~strawberry_picking ← raining
strawberry picking.
• (4) If it is raining you will get wet. (4) wet ← raining
• (5) It is warm day (5) warm
• (6) It is raining (6) raining
• (7) It is sunny (7) sunny
• Part(III) : CNF of Part(II)
• (1) (enjoy ∨~sunny∨~warm)  ∧
• (2) (strawberry_picking ∨~warm∨~pleasant)  ∧
• (3) (~strawberry_picking ∨~raining)  ∧
• (4) (wet ∨~raining)  ∧
• (5) (warm)  ∧
• (6) (raining)  ∧
• (7) (sunny)  
• Why ∧ at the end of above statements?

• Part(IV) : Other statements we want to prove by Refutation


• (Goal 1) You are not doing strawberry picking.
• (Goal 2) You will enjoy.
• (Goal 3) Try it yourself : You will get wet. 
• Conjunctive Normal Form (CNF):
• CNF is a particular way to write logical formulas. If logical formulas are written in
• 'conjunction' (i.e. clauses joined by and) then it is said to be in Conjunctive Normal
Form.
• You can see that Part(II) represents the propositional statements and Part(III) is a
CNF of Part(II).
• Any propositional statements can be transformed into conjunctive normal form
using and(∧) between the clauses.
• So, to convert the propositional statements into CNF, we write and between each
clause.
In our examples Part(II) has 7 statements. So, we will write these statements in
• CNF as below (1) and (2) and (3) and (4) and (5) and (6) and (7)
• Here and is replaced by ∧ to show them in conjunction of clauses (in CNF). Thus,
it will become (1) ∧ (2) ∧ (3) ∧ (4) ∧ (5) ∧ (6) ∧ (7)
Goal 2 : You will enjoy.
Goal 1 : You are not doing strawberry picking. Prove :  enjoy
Prove : ~strawberry_picking
Assume : strawberry_picking (negate the goal and add it to given clauses). Assume :  ~enjoy (negate the goal and add it to given
clauses)

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