Zenon Modulo: When Achilles Outruns the Tortoise Using Deduction Modulo

We propose an extension of the tableau-based first order automated theorem prover Zenon to deduction modulo. The theory of deduction modulo is an extension of predicate calculus, which allows us to rewrite terms as well as propositions, and which is well suited for proof search in axiomatic theories, as it turns axioms into rewrite rules. We also present a heuristic to perform this latter step automatically, and assess our approach by providing some experimental results obtained on the benchmarks provided by the TPTP library, where this heuristic is able to prove difficult problems in set theory in particular. Finally, we describe an additional backend for Zenon that outputs proof certificates for Dedukti, which is a proof checker based on the λΠ-calculus modulo.

[1]  Nikolaj Bjørner,et al.  Automated Deduction - CADE-23 - 23rd International Conference on Automated Deduction, Wroclaw, Poland, July 31 - August 5, 2011. Proceedings , 2011, CADE.

[2]  Damien Doligez,et al.  Proof Certification in Zenon Modulo: When Achilles Uses Deduction Modulo to Outrun the Tortoise with Shorter Steps , 2013 .

[3]  Jean-Raymond Abrial,et al.  The B-book - assigning programs to meanings , 1996 .

[4]  Claude Kirchner,et al.  Theorem Proving Modulo , 2003, Journal of Automated Reasoning.

[5]  Larry Wos,et al.  What Is Automated Reasoning? , 1987, J. Autom. Reason..

[6]  A. Troelstra,et al.  Constructivism in Mathematics: An Introduction , 1988 .

[7]  David Delahaye,et al.  Tableaux Modulo Theories Using Superdeduction - An Application to the Verification of B Proof Rules with the Zenon Automated Theorem Prover , 2012, IJCAR.

[8]  Pawel Sobocinski,et al.  Being Van Kampen is a universal property , 2011, Log. Methods Comput. Sci..

[9]  Guillaume Burel,et al.  Efficiently Simulating Higher-Order Arithmetic by a First-Order Theory Modulo , 2008, Log. Methods Comput. Sci..

[10]  Lev Gordeev,et al.  Basic proof theory , 1998 .

[11]  Damien Doligez,et al.  Zenon : An Extensible Automated Theorem Prover Producing Checkable Proofs , 2007, LPAR.

[12]  Claude Kirchner,et al.  Principles of Superdeduction , 2007, 22nd Annual IEEE Symposium on Logic in Computer Science (LICS 2007).

[13]  Richard Bonichon,et al.  TaMeD: A Tableau Method for Deduction Modulo , 2004, IJCAR.

[14]  Gilles Dowek,et al.  What Is a Theory? , 2002, STACS.

[15]  Guillaume Burel Experimenting with Deduction Modulo , 2011, CADE.

[16]  Olivier Hermant,et al.  The λΠ-calculus Modulo as a Universal Proof Language , 2012, PxTP.

[17]  Geoff Sutcliffe The TPTP Problem Library and Associated Infrastructure , 2009, Journal of Automated Reasoning.

[18]  D. Prawitz Natural Deduction: A Proof-Theoretical Study , 1965 .

[19]  W. V. Quine,et al.  Natural deduction , 2021, An Introduction to Proof Theory.

[20]  Frank Wolter,et al.  Monodic fragments of first-order temporal logics: 2000-2001 A.D , 2001, LPAR.