Skip to main content

A rule-based algorithm for rigid E-unification

  • Contributed Papers
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Computational Logic and Proof Theory (KGC 1993)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 713))

Included in the following conference series:

Abstract

We present a new rule-based method for computing complete sets of rigid E-unifiers, improving on Gallier et al. 's method on several points: sharing of sub-terms is improved; substitution application and rewriting are done implicitly; the search for rigid E-unifiers is guided by the structure of the terms, and needs less guessing.

Our method makes extensive use of the congruence closure algorithm, and builds on it a non-deterministic procedure with six rules. We state its soundness, its completeness — with a sharper notion of completeness than Gallier-, its termination, and get a more elementary proof of the NP-completeness of rigid E-unification.

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

Access this chapter

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. P. Andrews. Theorem proving via general matings. J. ACM, 28(2):193–214, April 1981.

    Google Scholar 

  2. L. Bachmair, N. Dershowitz, and D. Plaisted. Completion without failure. In Resolution of Equations in Algebraic Structures, volume 2, pages 1–30. Academic Press, 1989.

    Google Scholar 

  3. B. Beckert. A completion-based method for adding equality to free variable semantic tableaux. In Workshop on Theorem Proving with Analytic. Tableaux and Related Methods, number MPI-I-93-213, pages 19–22, Marseille, France, avril 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  4. W. Bibel. Tautology testing with a generalized matrix reduction method. Theoretical Computer Science, 8:31–44, 1979.

    Google Scholar 

  5. W. Bibel. Automated Theorem Proving. Vieweg, 2nd, revised edition, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  6. P. K. Downey, R. Sethi, and R. E. Tarjan. Variations on the common subexpression problem. J. ACM, 27(4):758–771, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  7. J. Gallier. Logic for Computer Science — Foundations of Automatic Theorem Proving. John Wiley and Sons, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  8. J. Gallier, P. Narendran, S. Raatz, and W. Snyder. Theorem proving using equational matings and rigid E-unification. J. ACM, 39(2):377–429, April 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  9. J. Gallier, S. Raatz, and W. Snyder. Theorem proving using rigid E-unification equational matings. In LICS, pages 338–346. IEEE, 1987.

    Google Scholar 

  10. J. Gallier, W. Snyder, P. Narendran, and D. Plaisted. Rigid E-unification is NP-complete. In LICS, pages 218–227. IEEE, 1988.

    Google Scholar 

  11. J. Goubault. Démonstration automatique en logique classique: complexité et méthodes. PhD thesis, Laboratoire d'informatique de l'école polytechnique, 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  12. J. Goubault. A rule-based algorithm for rigid E-unification. Technical Report 93024, Bull S.A., juin 1993.

    Google Scholar 

  13. J.-P. Jouannaud and C. Kirchner. Solving equations in abstract algebras: a rule-based survey of unification. Technical report, LRI, CNRS UA 410, March 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  14. K. Mehlhorn and A. Tsakalidis. Data structures. In J. v. Leeuwen, editor, Handbook of Theoretical Computer Science, chapter 6, pages 301–341. Elsevier, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  15. G. Nelson and D. G. Oppen. Fast decision procedures based on congruence closure. J. ACM, 27(2):356–364, April 1980.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Georg Gottlob Alexander Leitsch Daniele Mundici

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 1993 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this paper

Cite this paper

Goubault, J. (1993). A rule-based algorithm for rigid E-unification. In: Gottlob, G., Leitsch, A., Mundici, D. (eds) Computational Logic and Proof Theory. KGC 1993. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 713. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0022569

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BFb0022569

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-57184-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-47943-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics