Skip to main content

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 2833))

Abstract

We study two resolution-like refutation systems for finite-domain constraint satisfaction problems, and the efficiency of these and of common CSP algorithms. By comparing the relative strength of these systems, we show that for instances with domain size d, backtracking with 2-way branching is super-polynomially more powerful than backtracking with d-way branching. We compare these systems with propositional resolution, and show that every family of CNF formulas which are hard for propositional resolution induces families of CSP instances that are hard for most of the standard CSP algorithms in the literature.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Baker, A.B.: Intelligent Backtracking on Constraint Satisfaction Problems: Experimental and Theoretical Results. PhD thesis, University of Oregon (1995)

    Google Scholar 

  2. Beame, P., Culberson, J., Mitchell, D.: The resolution complexity of random graph k-colourability (in preparation)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Beame, P., Impagliazzo, R., Sabharwal, A.: Resolution complexity of independent sets in random graphs. In: Proc., 16th Annual Conference on Computational Complexity (CCC), June 2001, pp. 52–68 (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Beame, P., Karp, R., Pitassi, T., Saks, M.: On the complexity of unsatisfiability proofs for random k-CNF formulas. In: Proc. of the 30 Annual ACM Symp. on the Theory of Computing (STOC 1998), May 1998, pp. 561–571 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Beame, P., Kautz, H., Sabharwal, A.: Understanding the power of clause learning. In: Proc., Eighteenth Int’l. Joint Conferences on Artificial Intelligence (IJCAI 2003) (2003)(to appear)

    Google Scholar 

  6. Ben-Sasson, E., Wigderson, A.: Short proofs are narrow: Resolution made simple. In: Proc. of the 31st Annual Symp. on the Theory of Computation (STOC 1999), pp. 517–526 (May 1999) (also appears as ECCC report TR99-022)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Buresh-Oppenheim, J., Pitassi, T.: The complexity of resolution refinements. In: Proc., Eighteenth Annual IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS 2003), pp. 138–147 (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Chvátal, V., Szemerédi, E.: Many hard examples for resolution. Journal of the ACM 35(4), 759–768 (1988)

    Article  MATH  Google Scholar 

  9. Cook, S.A., Reckhow, R.A.: The relative efficiency of propositional proof systems. J. Symbolic Logic 44(1), 23–46 (1979)

    MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  10. De Kleer, J.: A comparison of ATMS and CSP techniques. In: Proc. of the 11th Int’l. Joint Conf. on A. I (IJCAI 1989), pp. 290–296 (1989)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Dechter, R.: From local to global consistency. Artificial Intelligence 55, 87–107 (1992)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  12. Frost, D., Dechter, R.: Dead-end driven learning. In: Proc., Twelfth Nat. Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI 1994), pp. 294–300 (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Goerdt, A.: Unrestricted resolution versus N-resolution. Theoretical Computer Science 93, 159–167 (1992)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  14. Haken, A.: The intractability of resolution. Theoretical Computer Science 39, 297–308 (1985)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  15. Kullmann, O.: Upper and lower bounds on the complexity of generalized resolution and generalized constraint satisfaction problems (2000) (manuscript)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Mitchell, D.G.: Hard problems for CSP algorithms. In: Proc., 15th Nat. Conf. on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI 1998), pp. 398–405 (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Mitchell, D.G.: Resolution complexity of random constraints. In: Van Hentenryck, P. (ed.) CP 2002. LNCS, vol. 2470, pp. 295–309. Springer, Heidelberg (2002)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  18. Molloy, M., Salavatipour, M.: The resolution complexity of random constraint satisfaction problems (submitted)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Schiex, T., Verfaillie, G.: Nogood recording for static and dynamic csp. In: Proc. of the IJCAI 1993/SIGMAN Workshop on Knowledge-based Production Planning, Scheduling and Control, August 1993, pp. 305–316 (1993)

    Google Scholar 

  20. Urquhart, A.: Hard examples for resolution. Journal of the ACM 34(1), 209–219 (1987)

    Article  MATH  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  21. Urquhart, A.: Resolution proofs of matching principles. Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence (2002) (to appear)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Walsh, T.: SAT vs CSP. In: Dechter, R. (ed.) CP 2000. LNCS, vol. 1894, pp. 441–456. Springer, Heidelberg (2000)

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  23. Xu, K., Li, W.: Exact phase transitions in random constraint satisfaction problems. J. of Artificial Intelligence Research 12, 93–103 (2000)

    MATH  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Mitchell, D.G. (2003). Resolution and Constraint Satisfaction. In: Rossi, F. (eds) Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming – CP 2003. CP 2003. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2833. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45193-8_38

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-45193-8_38

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-20202-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-45193-8

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics