Undergraduate Course: Automated Reasoning (INFR09042)
Course Outline
| School | School of Informatics |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | **This course has been replaced by the new Level 10 Automated Reasoning INFR10087 course from 2022-23- also 10 credits**
The overall aim of the course is to describe how reasoning can be modelled using computers. Its more specific aim is to provide a route into more advanced uses of theorem proving in order to solve problems in mathematics and formal verification.
Major emphases are on: how knowledge can be represented using propositional, first-order and higher-order logic; how these representations can be used as the basis for reasoning, and how these reasoning processes can be guided to a successful conclusion through a variety of means ranging from fully-automated to interactive ones. Students will develop a thorough understanding of modern, interactive theorem proving via lectures and a practical assignment. |
| Course description |
The course starts with an introduction to higher order logic, theorem provers and, more specifically, Isabelle/HOL. This will set the context for the rest of the course in which Isabelle will be the framework for getting hands-on experience about the application of various theoretical concepts.
Through the lectures and weekly exercises that incorporate practical aspects the students will gain the skills needed to get started with Isabelle and progress to more complex concepts involving both representation and reasoning.
The second part will look at representation/modelling of concepts in (higher order) logic in details. Axiomatic versus conservative extensions of theories will be covered and mechanisms such as Isabelle locales will be introduced and used. Recursive definitions and inductive notions will be covered too.
The third part of the course will focus on fundamental notions such as unification and rewriting, within both a first and higher order context. It will look at notions such as termination and use Isabelle's simplifier as the tool for understanding many of the concepts. It will also look at the interplay between (fully) automatic and interactive proofs.
The fourth part will introduce declarative/structured proofs and using the Isar language of Isabelle show how proofs resembling pencil and paper ones can be formalized.
Finally the various strands will be brought together through the discussion of a non-trivial case study.
This may involve either formalized mathematics (e.g. looking at a geometric theory) or a formal verification example.
The assignment will be a combination of basic to intermediate representation and reasoning in Isabelle (up to 40%), more advanced proof tackling one particular domain or example (up to 40%) and a final part which, if completed successfully, will clearly demonstrate that the student has a good grasp of the challenges that advanced interactive theorem proving entails.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
Students MUST have passed:
Informatics 2D - Reasoning and Agents (INFR08010)
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | This course is open to all Informatics students including those on joint degrees. External students should seek special permission from the course organiser. Prior familiarity with propositional and predicate logic is recommended. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Prior familiarity with propositional and predicate logic is recommended.
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| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Use sophisticated mechanisms available in theorem provers to represent problem.
- Write interactive proof in procedural and declarative styles.
- Use interactive and automated methods to carry out proofs in the theorem prover.
- Represent and reason about mathematical and other less formal knowledge using logic.
- Understand and compare automated reasoning techniques and apply them using pen-and-paper.
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Reading List
Recommended reading list:
1. John Harrison. Handbook of Practical Logic and Automated Reasoning, CUP, 2009.
2. Tobias Nipkow and Gerwin Klein. Concrete Semantics with Isabelle/HOL, Springer, 2014.
3. T. Nipkow, L. C. Paulson, and M. Wenzel. Isabelle/HOL: A Proof Assistant for Higher- Order Logic , Springer, 2002.
4. M.Huth and M.Ryan. Logic in Computer Science, Modelling and and Reasoning about Systems, CUP, 2nd Edition, 2004.
The students will also be asked to read various papers and given links to presentations and
websites with materials pertaining to various theorem proving projects and repositories
(e.g. The Archive of Formal Proof). |
Additional Information
| Course URL |
http://course.inf.ed.ac.uk/ar/ |
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Automated Reasoning,Theorem Proving,Formal proof |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Jacques Fleuriot
Tel: (0131 6)50 9342
Email: Jacques.Fleuriot@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Mrs Michelle Bain
Tel: (0131 6)51 7607
Email: michelle.bain@ed.ac.uk |
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