Nondeterministic Environments and Partial Observations

CSC 261 - Artificial Intelligence - Weinman



Answer the following questions. Record your answers in your Reading Journal.
  1. Give an example from your own experience of a contingency problem you have faced. Briefly explain why it meets the reading's definition and provide an example of at least part of your corresponding contingency plan.
  2. Identify the sentence from the reading you believe best illustrates1the common issues of a sensorless agent and a nondeterministic problem environment. That is, what issue(s) do these two different types of problems have in common? Briefly (3-5 sentences) explain your choice.
  3. Russell and Norvig state "With nondetermnistic [sic] actions the PREDICT step grows the belief state, but the UPDATE step shrinks it back down" (p. 146, bottom). Briefly (3-5 sentences) unpack and explain this assertion in your own words.2

Footnotes:

1Note that to illustrate means to serve as an example of (i.e., the commonality) or to explain or make something clear by use of an example.
2But preferably not as Calvin does.