Backward Chaining and Prolog

CSC 261 - Artificial Intelligence - Weinman



Answer the following questions. Record your answers in your Reading Journal.
  1. Chapter 7 introduced chaining-based inference algorithms for propositional logic. The previous edition of the text concluded section 7.5.4 with the statement that
    an agent should share the work between forward and backward reasoning, limiting forward reasoning to the generation of facts that are likely to be relevant to queries that will be solved by backward chaining. (Russell & Norvig 2003, p. 220)
    Select the sentence from today's readings that you believe best supports this claim. Briefly (3-5 sentences) explain why you chose this sentence.
  2. In your own words, explain the purpose of the (antepenultimate) line of FOL-BC-AND, which reads,
    for each θ' in FOL-BC-OR(KB, SUBST(θ,first),θ) do
  3. Select a sentence from today's readings that you feel best illustrates
    1. the power of recursive rules and another
    2. the danger of recursive rules.
    Briefly explain why you chose each of these sentences.