A predicate or predicate symbol is used in logic to denote properties and relationships. Formally, if P is a predicate with arity n, and t1, …, t n is a sequence of n terms (i.e., constants, variables, or compound terms built from function symbols), then P(t1, …, t n ) is an atomic formula or atom. Such an atom represents a statement that can be either true or false. Using logical connectives, atoms can be combined to build well-formed formulae in first-order logic or clauses in logic programs.
Cross-References
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this entry
Cite this entry
(2017). Predicate. In: Sammut, C., Webb, G.I. (eds) Encyclopedia of Machine Learning and Data Mining. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7687-1_653
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-7687-1_653
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA
Print ISBN: 978-1-4899-7685-7
Online ISBN: 978-1-4899-7687-1
eBook Packages: Computer ScienceReference Module Computer Science and Engineering