Wrapping Computer Algebra is Surprisingly Successful for Non-Linear SMT

International audienceWe report on a prototypical tool for Satisfiability Modulo Theory solvingfor quantifier-free formulas in Non-linear Real Arithmetic or, more precisely,real closed fields, which uses a computer algebra system as the main component.This is complemented with two heuristic techniques, also stemming fromcomputer algebra, viz. interval constraint propagation and subtropical satisfiability.Our key idea is to make optimal use of existing knowledge and work in thesymbolic computation community, reusing available methods and implementationsto the most possible extent. Experimental results show that our approach issurprisingly efficient in practice

Non-linear Real Arithmetic Benchmarks derived from Automated Reasoning in Economics

We consider problems originating in economics that may be solved automatically using mathematical software. We present and make freely available a new benchmark set of such problems. The problems have been shown to fall within the framework of non-linear real arithmetic, and so are in theory soluble via Quantifier Elimination (QE) technology as usually implemented in computer algebra systems. Further, they all can be phrased in prenex normal form with only existential quantifiers and so are also admissible to those Satisfiability Module Theory (SMT) solvers that support the QF_NRA. There is a great body of work considering QE and SMT application in science and engineering, but we demonstrate here that there is potential for this technology also in the social sciences.Comment: To appear in Proc. SC-Square 2018. Dataset described is hosted by Zenodo at: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1226892 . arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1804.1003

First-Order Tests for Toricity

Motivated by problems arising with the symbolic analysis of steady state ideals in Chemical Reaction Network Theory, we consider the problem of testing whether the points in a complex or real variety with non-zero coordinates form a coset of a multiplicative group. That property corresponds to Shifted Toricity, a recent generalization of toricity of the corresponding polynomial ideal. The key idea is to take a geometric view on varieties rather than an algebraic view on ideals. Recently, corresponding coset tests have been proposed for complex and for real varieties. The former combine numerous techniques from commutative algorithmic algebra with Gr\"obner bases as the central algorithmic tool. The latter are based on interpreted first-order logic in real closed fields with real quantifier elimination techniques on the algorithmic side. Here we take a new logic approach to both theories, complex and real, and beyond. Besides alternative algorithms, our approach provides a unified view on theories of fields and helps to understand the relevance and interconnection of the rich existing literature in the area, which has been focusing on complex numbers, while from a scientific point of view the (positive) real numbers are clearly the relevant domain in chemical reaction network theory. We apply prototypical implementations of our new approach to a set of 129 models from the BioModels repository

Deciding the consistency of non-linear real arithmetic constraints with a conflict driven search using cylindrical algebraic coverings

We present a new algorithm for determining the satisfiability of conjunctions of non-linear polynomial constraints over the reals, which can be used as a theory solver for satisfiability modulo theory (SMT) solving for non-linear real arithmetic. The algorithm is a variant of Cylindrical Algebraic Decomposition (CAD) adapted for satisfiability, where solution candidates (sample points) are constructed incrementally, either until a satisfying sample is found or sufficient samples have been sampled to conclude unsatisfiability. The choice of samples is guided by the input constraints and previous conflicts. The key idea behind our new approach is to start with a partial sample; demonstrate that it cannot be extended to a full sample; and from the reasons for that rule out a larger space around the partial sample, which build up incrementally into a cylindrical algebraic covering of the space. There are similarities with the incremental variant of CAD, the NLSAT method of Jovanovic and de Moura, and the NuCAD algorithm of Brown; but we present worked examples and experimental results on a preliminary implementation to demonstrate the differences to these, and the benefits of the new approach

A Survey of Some Methods for Real Quantifier Elimination, Decision, and Satisfiability and Their Applications

International audienceEffective quantifier elimination procedures for first-order theories provide a powerful tool for genericallysolving a wide range of problems based on logical specifications. In contrast to general first-order provers, quantifierelimination procedures are based on a fixed set of admissible logical symbolswith an implicitly fixed semantics. Thisadmits the use of sub-algorithms from symbolic computation. We are going to focus on quantifier elimination forthe reals and its applications giving examples from geometry, verification, and the life sciences. Beyond quantifierelimination we are going to discuss recent results with a subtropical procedure for an existential fragment of thereals. This incomplete decision procedure has been successfully applied to the analysis of reaction systems inchemistry and in the life sciences

First-Order Tests for Toricity

Motivated by problems arising with the symbolic analysis of steady state ideals in Chemical Reaction Network Theory, we consider the problem of testing whether the points in a complex or real variety with non-zero coordinates form a coset of a multiplicative group. That property corresponds to Shifted Toricity, a recent generalization of toricity of the corresponding polynomial ideal. The key idea is to take a geometric view on varieties rather than an algebraic view on ideals. Recently, corresponding coset tests have been proposed for complex and for real varieties. The former combine numerous techniques from commutative algorithmic algebra with Gr\"obner bases as the central algorithmic tool. The latter are based on interpreted first-order logic in real closed fields with real quantifier elimination techniques on the algorithmic side. Here we take a new logic approach to both theories, complex and real, and beyond. Besides alternative algorithms, our approach provides a unified view on theories of fields and helps to understand the relevance and interconnection of the rich existing literature in the area, which has been focusing on complex numbers, while from a scientific point of view the (positive) real numbers are clearly the relevant domain in chemical reaction network theory. We apply prototypical implementations of our new approach to a set of 129 models from the BioModels repository

Experiments with Automated Reasoning in the Class

International audienceThe European Erasmus+ project ARC-Automated Reasoning in the Class aims at improving the academic education in disciplines related to Computational Logic by using Automated Reasoning tools. We present the technical aspects of the tools as well as our education experiments, which took place mostly in virtual lectures due to the COVID pandemics. Our education goals are: to support the virtual interaction between teacher and students in the absence of the blackboard, to explain the basic Computational Logic algorithms, to study their implementation in certain programming environments, to reveal the main relationships between logic and programming, and to develop the proof skills of the students. For the introductory lectures we use some programs in C and in Mathematica in order to illustrate normal forms, resolution, and DPLL (Davis-Putnam-Logemann-Loveland) with its Chaff version, as well as an implementation of sequent calculus in the Theorema system. Furthermore we developed special tools for SAT (propositional satisfiability), some based on the original methods from the partners, including complex tools for SMT (Satisfiability Modulo Theories) that allow the illustration of various solving approaches. An SMT related approach is natural-style proving in Elementary Analysis, for which we developed and interesting set of practical heuristics. For more advanced lectures on rewrite systems we use the Coq programming and proving environment, in order on one hand to demonstrate programming in functional style and on the other hand to prove properties of programs. Other advanced approaches used in some lectures are the deduction based synthesis of algorithms and the techniques for program transformation