Symbolic Logic and Mechanical Theorem Proving (Computer Science and Applied Mathematics)

This book contains an introduction to symbolic logic and a thorough discussion of mechanical theorem proving and its applications. The book consists of three major parts. Chapters 2 and 3 constitute an introduction to symbolic logic. Chapters 4-9 introduce several techniques in mechanical theorem proving, and Chapters 10 an 11 show how theorem proving can be applied to various areas such as question answering, problem solving, program analysis, and program synthesis.

Mechanical theorem proving is an important subject in artificial intelligence. It has been applied to many areas--program analysis, program synthesis, deductive question-answering systems, problem-solving systems, and robot technology.
This classic text provides a thorough discussion of mechanical theorem proving and its applications as well as an introduction to symbolic logic. A purely model-theoretic approach to first-order logic is adopted, and the book emphasizes efficient computer implementations of proof techniques.
Appropriate for both undergraduates and graduate courses in theorem proving, this text is also suitable as a supplementary textbook in artificial intelligence to provide the student with a background in mechanical theorem proving and application areas.