Discovering the Wave Theory of Sound: Inductive Inference in the Context of Problem Solving

This paper describes a program which simulates the discovery of the wave theory of sound, using several kinds of inductive inference that are triggered in the context of problem solving. The most novel of these is conceptual combination, which produces new concepts by combining existing concepts, represented as frame-like clusters of production rules. Combined concepts are not a linear amalgam of existing ones, since the conflicting expectations of the rules in the donor concepts must be resolved by a set of top-down and bottom-up procedures. The theoretical concept of a sound wave is produced by conceptual combination. The rule that sound consists of waves is produced by applications of other kinds of inductive inference: generalization and abduction.

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