GEOTHER 1.1: Handling and Proving Geometric Theorems Automatically

GEOTHER provides an environment for handling and proving theorems in geometry automatically. In this environment, geometric theorems are represented by means of predicate specifications. Several functions are implemented that allow one to translate the specification of a geometric theorem into an English or Chinese statement, into algebraic expressions, and into a logic formula automatically. Geometric diagrams can also be drawn automatically from the predicate specification, and the drawn diagrams may be modified and animated with a mouse click and dragging. Five algebraic provers based on Wu’s method of characteristic sets, the Grobner basis method, and other triangularization techniques are available for proving such theorems in elementary (and differential) geometry. Geometric meanings of the produced algebraic nondegeneracy conditions can be interpreted automatically, in most cases. PostScript and HTML files can be generated, also automatically, to document the manipulation and machine proof of the theorem. This paper presents these capabilities of GEOTHER, addresses some implementation issues, reports on the performance of GEOTHER’s algebraic provers, and discusses a few challenging problems.