The Application of Theorem Proving to Question-answering Systems

Book excerpt: The paper shows how a question-answering system can use first-order logic as its language and an automatic theorem prover, based upon the resolution inference principle, as its deductive mechanism. The resolution proof procedure is extended to a constructive proof procedure. An answer construction algorithm is given whereby the system is able not only to produce yes or no answers but also to find or construct an object satisfying a specified condition. A working computer program, QA3, based on these ideas, is described. Methods are presented for solving state transformation problems. In addition to question-answering, the program can do automatic programming, control and problem solving for a simple robot, pattern recognition, and puzzles. (Author).