Reasoning about Knowledge by Variable Forgetting
Author(s)
Su, Kaile
Lv, Guanfen
Zhang, Yan
Griffith University Author(s)
Year published
2004
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In this paper, we investigate knowledge reasoning within a simple framework called {/it knowledge structure}. We use {/it variable forgetting} as a basic operation for one agent to reason about its own or other agents' knowledge. In our framework, two notions namely agents' {/it observable variables} and the {/it weakest sufficient condition} play important roles in knowledge reasoning. Given a background knowledge base $T$ and a set of observable variables $O_i$ for each agent $i$, we show that the notion of agent $i$ knowing a formula $/varphi$ can be defined as a weakest sufficient condition of $/varphi$ on $O_i$ under ...
View more >In this paper, we investigate knowledge reasoning within a simple framework called {/it knowledge structure}. We use {/it variable forgetting} as a basic operation for one agent to reason about its own or other agents' knowledge. In our framework, two notions namely agents' {/it observable variables} and the {/it weakest sufficient condition} play important roles in knowledge reasoning. Given a background knowledge base $T$ and a set of observable variables $O_i$ for each agent $i$, we show that the notion of agent $i$ knowing a formula $/varphi$ can be defined as a weakest sufficient condition of $/varphi$ on $O_i$ under $T$. Moreover, we show how to capture the notion of common knowledge by using a generalized notion of weakest sufficient condition. We also discuss possible applications of our framework in some interesting domains such as the automated analysis of the well-known muddy children puzzle and the verification of the revised Needham-Schroeder protocol.
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View more >In this paper, we investigate knowledge reasoning within a simple framework called {/it knowledge structure}. We use {/it variable forgetting} as a basic operation for one agent to reason about its own or other agents' knowledge. In our framework, two notions namely agents' {/it observable variables} and the {/it weakest sufficient condition} play important roles in knowledge reasoning. Given a background knowledge base $T$ and a set of observable variables $O_i$ for each agent $i$, we show that the notion of agent $i$ knowing a formula $/varphi$ can be defined as a weakest sufficient condition of $/varphi$ on $O_i$ under $T$. Moreover, we show how to capture the notion of common knowledge by using a generalized notion of weakest sufficient condition. We also discuss possible applications of our framework in some interesting domains such as the automated analysis of the well-known muddy children puzzle and the verification of the revised Needham-Schroeder protocol.
View less >
Conference Title
Principles of knowledge representation and reasoning:Proceedings of the ninth International conference (KR 2004)