8,921 research outputs found
Scheme-based theorem discovery and concept invention
In this thesis we describe an approach to automatically invent/explore new mathematical
theories, with the goal of producing results comparable to those produced by humans,
as represented, for example, in the libraries of the Isabelle proof assistant. Our
approach is based on ‘schemes’, which are formulae in higher-order logic. We show
that it is possible to automate the instantiation process of schemes to generate conjectures
and definitions. We also show how the new definitions and the lemmata discovered
during the exploration of a theory can be used, not only to help with the proof
obligations during the exploration, but also to reduce redundancies inherent in most
theory-formation systems. We exploit associative-commutative (AC) operators using
ordered rewriting to avoid AC variations of the same instantiation. We implemented
our ideas in an automated tool, called IsaScheme, which employs Knuth-Bendix completion
and recent automatic inductive proof tools. We have evaluated our system in a
theory of natural numbers and a theory of lists
Brief History of Quantum Cryptography: A Personal Perspective
Quantum cryptography is the only approach to privacy ever proposed that
allows two parties (who do not share a long secret key ahead of time) to
communicate with provably perfect secrecy under the nose of an eavesdropper
endowed with unlimited computational power and whose technology is limited by
nothing but the fundamental laws of nature. This essay provides a personal
historical perspective on the field. For the sake of liveliness, the style is
purposely that of a spontaneous after-dinner speech.Comment: 14 pages, no figure
Proof-Pattern Recognition and Lemma Discovery in ACL2
We present a novel technique for combining statistical machine learning for
proof-pattern recognition with symbolic methods for lemma discovery. The
resulting tool, ACL2(ml), gathers proof statistics and uses statistical
pattern-recognition to pre-processes data from libraries, and then suggests
auxiliary lemmas in new proofs by analogy with already seen examples. This
paper presents the implementation of ACL2(ml) alongside theoretical
descriptions of the proof-pattern recognition and lemma discovery methods
involved in it
Hipster: Integrating Theory Exploration in a Proof Assistant
This paper describes Hipster, a system integrating theory exploration with
the proof assistant Isabelle/HOL. Theory exploration is a technique for
automatically discovering new interesting lemmas in a given theory development.
Hipster can be used in two main modes. The first is exploratory mode, used for
automatically generating basic lemmas about a given set of datatypes and
functions in a new theory development. The second is proof mode, used in a
particular proof attempt, trying to discover the missing lemmas which would
allow the current goal to be proved. Hipster's proof mode complements and
boosts existing proof automation techniques that rely on automatically
selecting existing lemmas, by inventing new lemmas that need induction to be
proved. We show example uses of both modes
Mathematical practice, crowdsourcing, and social machines
The highest level of mathematics has traditionally been seen as a solitary
endeavour, to produce a proof for review and acceptance by research peers.
Mathematics is now at a remarkable inflexion point, with new technology
radically extending the power and limits of individuals. Crowdsourcing pulls
together diverse experts to solve problems; symbolic computation tackles huge
routine calculations; and computers check proofs too long and complicated for
humans to comprehend.
Mathematical practice is an emerging interdisciplinary field which draws on
philosophy and social science to understand how mathematics is produced. Online
mathematical activity provides a novel and rich source of data for empirical
investigation of mathematical practice - for example the community question
answering system {\it mathoverflow} contains around 40,000 mathematical
conversations, and {\it polymath} collaborations provide transcripts of the
process of discovering proofs. Our preliminary investigations have demonstrated
the importance of "soft" aspects such as analogy and creativity, alongside
deduction and proof, in the production of mathematics, and have given us new
ways to think about the roles of people and machines in creating new
mathematical knowledge. We discuss further investigation of these resources and
what it might reveal.
Crowdsourced mathematical activity is an example of a "social machine", a new
paradigm, identified by Berners-Lee, for viewing a combination of people and
computers as a single problem-solving entity, and the subject of major
international research endeavours. We outline a future research agenda for
mathematics social machines, a combination of people, computers, and
mathematical archives to create and apply mathematics, with the potential to
change the way people do mathematics, and to transform the reach, pace, and
impact of mathematics research.Comment: To appear, Springer LNCS, Proceedings of Conferences on Intelligent
Computer Mathematics, CICM 2013, July 2013 Bath, U
An Introduction to Mechanized Reasoning
Mechanized reasoning uses computers to verify proofs and to help discover new
theorems. Computer scientists have applied mechanized reasoning to economic
problems but -- to date -- this work has not yet been properly presented in
economics journals. We introduce mechanized reasoning to economists in three
ways. First, we introduce mechanized reasoning in general, describing both the
techniques and their successful applications. Second, we explain how mechanized
reasoning has been applied to economic problems, concentrating on the two
domains that have attracted the most attention: social choice theory and
auction theory. Finally, we present a detailed example of mechanized reasoning
in practice by means of a proof of Vickrey's familiar theorem on second-price
auctions
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