The paper shows how a question-answering system can use first-order logic as its language and an automatic theorem prover, based upon the resolution inference principle, as its deductive mechanism. The resolution proof procedure is extended to a constructive proof procedure. An answer construction algorithm is given whereby the system is able not only to produce yes or no answers but also to find or construct an object satisfying a specified condition. A working computer program, QA3, based on these ideas, is described. Methods are presented for solving state transformation problems. In addition to question-answering, the program can do automatic programming, control and problem solving for a simple robot, pattern recognition, and puzzles. (Author).

This book contains an introduction to symbolic logic and a thorough discussion of mechanical theorem proving and its applications. The book consists of three major parts. Chapters 2 and 3 constitute an introduction to symbolic logic. Chapters 4-9 introduce several techniques in mechanical theorem proving, and Chapters 10 an 11 show how theorem proving can be applied to various areas such as question answering, problem solving, program analysis, and program synthesis.

"Kind of crude, but it works, boy, it works!" AZan NeweZZ to Herb Simon, Christmas 1955 In 1954 a computer program produced what appears to be the first computer generated mathematical proof: Written by M. Davis at the Institute of Advanced Studies, USA, it proved a number theoretic theorem in Presburger Arithmetic. Christmas 1955 heralded a computer program which generated the first proofs of some propositions of Principia Mathematica, developed by A. Newell, J. Shaw, and H. Simon at RAND Corporation, USA. In Sweden, H. Prawitz, D. Prawitz, and N. Voghera produced the first general program for the full first order predicate calculus to prove mathematical theorems; their computer proofs were obtained around 1957 and 1958, about the same time that H. Gelernter finished a computer program to prove simple high school geometry theorems. Since the field of computational logic (or automated theorem proving) is emerging from the ivory tower of academic research into real world applications, asserting also a definite place in many university curricula, we feel the time has corne to examine and evaluate its history. The article by Martin Davis in the first of this series of volumes traces the most influential ideas back to the 'prehistory' of early logical thought showing how these ideas influenced the underlying concepts of most early automatic theorem proving programs.

Artificial Intelligence provides information pertinent to the fundamental aspects of artificial intelligence. This book presents the basic mathematical and computational approaches to problems in the artificial intelligence field. Organized into four parts encompassing 16 chapters, this book begins with an overview of the various fields of artificial intelligence. This text then attempts to connect artificial intelligence problems to some of the notions of computability and abstract computing devices. Other chapters consider the general notion of computability, with focus on the interaction between computability theory and artificial intelligence. This book discusses as well the concepts of pattern recognition, problem solving, and machine comprehension. The final chapter deals with the study of machine comprehension and reviews the fundamental mathematical and computing techniques underlying artificial intelligence research. This book is a valuable resource for seniors and graduate students in any of the computer-related sciences, or in experimental psychology. Psychologists, general systems theorists, and scientists will also find this book useful.