Computing Transivity Tables: A Challenge For Automated Theorem Provers

David A. Randell, Anthony G. Cohn, Zhan Cui

Abstract: Implementations of Allen's interval-based temporal logic and a recently developed simulation system for reasoning about space and time, both require the use of transitivity tables. Although strategies exist to construct such tables, the proofs which underly the entries in the table are both tedious to do and in some cases difficult to secure. Often a difficult proof is only obtained via lemmas; moreover, finding models for satisfiable sets of dyadic relations in the theory introduces its own difficulties. This paper presents the problems. Any automated theorem prover which can effectively generate the entries for such transitivity tables would mark significant progress in automated theorem proving.

External IDs:dblp:conf/cade/RandellCC92