Logic for knowledge representation

Points
Propositional logic
Predicate logic
• The pros and cons
• Syntax
• Semantics
Inference
• Soundness and completeness
The clausal form
• The conversion procedure
Resolution
Control of reasoning

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 1

 Propositional logic
We need to represent properties of
objects in the world we model, and
relations between objects.
Propositional logic is not expressive
enough. It allows no generality and no
generalization: just try to express the fact
“dogs have tails”.
This is the simplest form of logic. It has
only one advantage: there is an effective
procedure for proving theorems in it. That
is, propositional logic is decidable.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 2

 Predicate logic
First-order predicate logic gives us much of
what we need; its various extensions offer a
wide spectrum of knowledge representation
possibilities.
Predicate logic has a few obvious advantages:
• it has been known and applied in practice for
some 2500 years;
• it has well-defined reasoning methods;
• it is based on a solid theory that gives us “for
free” the semantics of this knowledge
representation method.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 3

 Predicate logic (2)
There also are drawbacks of predicate logic:
• it offers no support for hierarchical
organization (e.g., no object orientation);
• it is absolute (“frozen in time”) -- there are
problems with representing typical situations
and objects, and expressing defaults;
• it does not allow common-sense reasoning or
approximate reasoning;
• it has only undecidable or semidecidable
proof procedures (but this is true of other
representation methods).

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 4

 Predicate logic syntax -- a refresher

A very brief review the syntax (in a Prolog-style

notation).
In an atom, the predicate denotes the general nature of
things, while the arguments (terms) represent the details.
Example:
onMarket(house(address(ottawa,main,10),
bedrooms(4)),
price(225000))
Variables allow us to generalize, for example:
onMarket(house(A, B), price(P))

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 5

 ... syntax -- a refresher (2)
The logical connectives , , , , 
produce formulae out of formulae.
Quantifiers allow us to make general
statements about classes of individuals:
A N (
onMarket(house(A, bedrooms(4)),
price(N))

N < 190000

makeOfferFor(A)
)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 6

 First order?

“First order” means that we can only reason about sets

of individuals, that is, only individuals can be quantified.
Predicates are fixed.
In higher-order logics variables are allowed in predicate
positions. Two examples:
X Y X(Y)
“each property has at least one instance”
X (X(a)  X(b))
“a and b have the same properties”

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 7

 Predicate logic semantics
Quantifiers, logical connectives, atoms (predicates,
arguments), terms (functors, constants, variables) are
the syntactic elements of first-order logic.
They must be given a semantic interpretation if we
want them to represent the world.
Formally, the term
address(ottawa, main, 10)
need not represent a house.
The symbols address, ottawa, main could
denote anything.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 8

 Predicate logic semantics (2)
We interpret logical formulae by mapping their elements
into a domain. A term without variables corresponds to
an object in the domain. An atom without variables
corresponds to a true or false statement about domain
objects. For example:
ottawa corresponds to the city of Ottawa,
main corresponds to Main Street in Ottawa,
address(ottawa, main, 10) corresponds to a valid
Ottawa address,
onMarket(house(address(ottawa, main, 10),
bedrooms(4)), price(225000)) denotes a true or
false statement about a specific house.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 9

 Predicate logic semantics (3)
Let S be a set of logical formulae that represent an
AI problem. Atoms in S correspond to true or false
statements about the problem.
A model of S is any subset of atoms -- all those
that we consider true. All atoms not in the model
are by definition false.
A formula with logical connectives has its truth
value derived from the values of its components.
For example, S1  S2 is true if both S1 and S2 are in
the model.
(This is a hugely simplified approach to models in logic. )

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 10

 Predicate logic semantics (4)
A tautology is something that is true in every model. A
classic example is this formula true for any H, P:
onMarket(H, P)   onMarket(H, P)
Two formulae are model-equivalent if, in every model,
they are either both true or both false.
Formula Φ entails formula Ψ if Ψ is true in every model in
which Φ is true. This is written as:
Φ |= Ψ
For example,
(onMarket(H, P)   sold(H))  sold(H)
|=  onMarket(H, P)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 11

 Inference
Entailment allows us to represent certain aspects
of rational behaviour:
a logically thinking agent draws conclusions from
facts, and so in some way derives new
knowledge.
We need a procedure that will implement this kind
of logical thinking.
Inference is such a procedure, especially if it has
two important properties:
it derives only good knowledge;
it derives all knowledge that can be derived.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 12

 Inference rules
1. Tableaux-based methods. (Try to construct a model
that makes a given formula Φ false. If we cannot
construct any such model, we have proven Φ.)
2. The resolution rule (much more about it soon).
3. Natural deduction.
Rule Given 1 Given 2 Inferred
modus ponens   
modus tollens   
negation (1)  
negation (2)  

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 13

 Inference rules (2)
Rule Given 1 Given 2 Inferred
conjunction introduced   
conjunction eliminated  
disjunction introduced  
disjunction eliminated  proof of  from  
proof of  from 

Rule Given Inferred

conditional proof proof of  from  
assuming  assuming 
proof by contradiction proof of    from  assuming 
 assuming 

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 14

 Good knowledge, all knowledge
The notation Φ |- Ψmeans: “we can infer Ψ from Φ”.
An inference rule is sound if an inferred formula is also
entailed:
If Φ |- Ψ then Φ |= Ψ
An inference rule is complete if every entailed formula can
be inferred:
If Φ |= Ψ then Φ |- Ψ
We can say that, for every Φ and Ψ, a sound and
complete inference rule ensures:
Φ |- Ψ if and only if Φ |= Ψ
or, even more neatly:

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 15

 Resolution
We begin with an advertisement...
The resolution proof procedure is attractive: one
inference rule plus unification (to be explained soon).
The resolution proof procedure is practical: Prolog
is based on resolution (meta-interpretation helps
enrich the procedure with explanations).
Downside: the clausal form, required by
resolution, is less natural than full first-order logic
(but intuitive!), and the proof procedure is still
costly unless we restrict the form of clauses.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 16

 The clausal form Resolution (2)
A literal is either an atom, or a negated atom.
A clause is a disjunction of literals:
A1  A2  ...  An 
¬B1  ¬B2  ...  ¬Bm
In Prolog, only Horn clauses are allowed. A Horn clause
has at most one positive literal.
For example, the following Prolog clause
a(X, Y) :- b(X, Z), c(Z, Y).
is really
∀X ∀Y ∀Z (b(X, Z)  c(Z, Y)  a(X, Y))
or, in the clausal form,
a(X, Y)  ¬b(X, Z)  ¬c(Z, Y)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 17

 Unification Resolution (3)
Boolean function UNIFY(term T1, term T2) {
if ( T1 is a variable )
T1 ← T2; /* bind */
elsif ( T2 is a variable )
T2 ← T1; /* bind */
elsif ( T1 and T2 have different main functors )
return false;
else {
Boolean unifiable = true;
while ( unifiable, unmatched arguments remain )
unifiable = UNIFY(next argument of T1,
next argument of T2);
}
return unifiable;
}

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 18

 Unification -- comments Resolution (4)
Variable bindings are accumulated on an initially empty list.
If the terms are unifiable, the list is our result; if they are not
unifiable, no bindings will be performed.
This unification procedure may create circular structures,
as it does in Prolog:
?- X = f(X).

X = f(f(f(f(f(f(f(f(f(f(...))))))))))

Yes
We could check that, in Var  Expr, Expr does not
contain Var. The cost of this “occurs-check” is too high for
practical systems such as Prolog.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 19

 Converting to clauses (i) Resolution (5)
Every first-order logic formula Φ can be converted into
clauses in a model-equivalent way: if Φ is mapped into
a true statement about some world, then Φ’s clausal
form is also true.
We will show the conversion procedure on an example
(see the textbook), probably with too many parentheses:
∀X ((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
∃Y (∃Z c(Y, Z)  d(X, Y)))
) 
∀X e(X)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 20

 Converting to clauses (ii) Resolution (6)

Step 1: eliminate implication.

  

∀X ((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
∃Y (∃Z c(Y, Z)  d(X, Y)))
) 
∀X e(X)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 21

 Converting to clauses (iii) Resolution (7)
Step 2: move negation inward.
 
( )() (∧ )()
∀ X ∃ X  ∃ X ∀ X 

∀X ((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
∃Y (∃Z c(Y, Z)  d(X, Y)))
) 
∀X e(X)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 22

 Converting to clauses (iv) Resolution (8)
Step 3: rename variables bound by independent
(not nested) quantifiers.
∀X ((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
∃Y (∃Z c(Y, Z)  d(X, Y)))
) 
∀W e(W)
Step 4: move quantifiers to the front.
∀X ∃Y ∃Z ∀W
((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
(c(Y, Z)  d(X, Y)))
)  e(W)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 23

 Converting to clauses (v) Resolution (9)

Step 5: skolemize (eliminate existential quantifiers).

∀A ... ∀B ∃C (A, ..., B, C) 
∀A ... ∀B (A, ..., B, s(A, ..., B))

∀X ∀W
((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
(c(f(X), g(X))  d(X, f(X))))
)  e(W)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 24

 Converting to clauses (vi) Resolution (10)
Step 6: drop the prefix (all variables are assumed to be
universally quantified by default).
((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
(c(f(X), g(X))  d(X, f(X))))
)  e(W)
Eliminate parentheses, assuming the usual precedence.
a(X)  b(X) 
c(X, k)  (c(f(X), g(X))  d(X, f(X))) 
e(W)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 25

 Converting to clauses (vii) Resolution (11)

Step 7: form a conjunction of disjunctions.

)()

(a(X)  b(X) 
c(X, k)  e(W))

(a(X)  b(X) 
c(f(X), g(X))  d(X, f(X))  e(W))

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 26

 Converting to clauses (viii) Resolution (12)

Step 8: split the conjunction into clauses (by

convention, they are treated as conjoined).
a(X)  b(X)  c(X, k)  e(W)
a(X)  b(X)  c(f(X), g(X)) 
d(X, f(X))  e(W)
Rewrite into a neat clausal form with arrows.
a(X), b(X)  c(X, k), e(W)
a(X), b(X), c(f(X), g(X)) 
d(X, f(X)), e(W)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 27

 Resolution (13)
Let’s see where this long story got us. We started here:
∀X ((a(X)  b(X)) 
(c(X, k) 
∃Y (∃Z c(Y, Z)  d(X, Y)))
) 
∀X e(X)
We ended up here:
(a(X)  b(X)  c(X, k)  e(W))

(a(X)  b(X)  c(f(X), g(X)) 
d(X, f(X))  e(W))

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 28

 The proof procedure (i) Resolution (14)

Deduction is based on a single inference rule.

Let all Am, Bn be literals. Given are two clauses:
A1 ... Ai-1  ¬Ai  Ai+1 ... AM
B1 ... Bk-1  Bk  Bk+1 ... BN
where Ai and Bk are unifiable.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 29

 The proof procedure (ii) Resolution (15)
Unification is applied to both complete clauses,
the two unifiable literals are "cancelled out", and
a new clause is formed.
A1 ... Ai-1  Ai+1 ... AM 
B1 ... Bk-1  Bk+1 ... BN
This is the resolvent of the two given clauses.
There is one clause with a special meaning: the
empty clause [], containing no disjuncts. It is
interpreted as always false.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 30

 The proof procedure (iii) Resolution (16)

Here is how we prove a formula , given a set S of

axioms and theorems (we actually show that  is
also a theorem):
convert the given axioms and theorems in S into the
clausal form CS,
convert  into the clausal form C,
try to deduce a contradiction from CS  C, that is, to
derive the empty clause []; this is done by repeatedly
picking pairs of clauses and applying the resolution
inference rule.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 31

 The proof procedure (iv) Resolution (17)

Now, if the original theory S can produce , we

should be able to derive it somehow; given also
, we get exactly the empty clause—this
proves  by contradiction.
The order in which resolution develops is dictated
by the proof algorithm, or by the operation of
selecting two clauses that give the next
resolvent. Selection strategies can lead to
efficient proofs, but there is in general no
guarantee that a proof can even be found.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 32

 An example (i) Resolution (18)
Someone is happy if he passes a history exam and wins a
lottery. You pass exams if you study or if you are lucky. You
win a lottery if you are lucky (studying does not help). John
is lucky, but he does not study. Is he happy?

• X pass(X, history) 
win(X, lottery)  happy(X)
• X Y study(X)  lucky(X)
 pass(X, Y)
• X lucky(X)  win(X, lottery)
• lucky(john)
• ¬ study(john)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 33

 An example (ii) Resolution (19)

The same in the clausal form (the last

clause translates our question).

1) ¬ pass(X, history) 
¬ win(X, lottery)  happy(X)
2) ¬ study(Y)  pass(Y, Z)
3) ¬ lucky(W)  pass(W, V)
4) ¬ lucky(U)  win(U, lottery)
5) lucky(john)
6) ¬ study(john)
7) ¬ happy(john)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 34

 An example (iii) Resolution (20)

¬ pass(X, history) 
¬ win(X, lottery)  happy(X)
¬ study(Y)  pass(Y, Z)
¬ lucky(W)  pass(W, V)
¬ lucky(U)  win(U, lottery)
lucky(john)
¬ study(john)
¬ happy(john)

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 35

 How to control resolution?

The order in which we select clauses for the

next resolution step decides how fast we
reach the empty clause (if we ever do).
There is a number of strategies... but we
have to skip this fascinating topic .
Please read section 13.2.4 of the textbook if
you want to find out more.

CSI 4106, Winter 2005 Logic, page 36