Logic Programming

Goals

• Introduction to logic programming.
• Understanding logical foundations and computational model.
• Learning practical programming in Prolog.

The final grade will depend on the assignment results and on the final exam at the end of the semester (solving assignments is a necessary precondition to be admitted to the exam).

Organization

Winter Semester 2014.

• Number: 326.028
• Title: Logic Programming
• Lecturer: Temur Kutsia
• Time: Wed 16:15-18:00
• Place: HS 12
• Language: English
• First lecture: October 8.

Registration

Please register for the course via the KUSSS system. To submit exercises via moodle, you have to login there and register as a course participant.

Contents

• Logical foundations. Introduction to Prolog programming.
• Questions, variables, conjunctions, rules, goals.
• Prolog syntax. Characters, operators, equality and matching, arithmetic.
• Using data structures. Programming techniques on Prolog (Mapping, recursion, accumulators, difference structures).
• Backtracking, generating multiple solutions, the cut.
• Selected examples.
• Unification, computational model of logic programs.
• Grammar rules (DCG).
• Efficiency issues.
• Related frameworks: Constraint logic programming, answer set programming.

Course Materials

• Book: W. F. Clocksin and C. S. Mellish. Programming in Prolog. Fifth edition. Springer. 2003.
• Slides:
  • Introduction - pdf
  • Logical foundations - pdf
  • Questions, variables, conjunctions, rules, goals - pdf
  • Prolog syntax - pdf
  • Data structures, mapping, recursion - pdf
  • Data structures, comparison, joining, accumulators, difference structures - pdf
  • Backtracking, the cut - pdf
  • Unification - pdf
  • Computational Model - pdf
  • Using Grammar Rules - pdf
  • Efficiency issues - pdf
  • Examples - pdf
  • Manipulating programs - pdf
• Assignments: Assignments are for individual work. The preferred method of submission is via moodle. If you experience a problem with it, please send me an email. There will be three assignments in total.
  • Assignment 1. Due: November 28.
  • Assignment 2. Due: December 23.
  • Assignment 3. Due: January 17.
• Programs:
  • Crossword: problem, solution.
  • List length with and without an accumulator.
  • Parts, Parts with an accumulator, Parts with difference lists.
  • Logic puzzle.
• Additional material:
  • M. A. Covington, R. Bagnara, R. A. O'Keefe, J. Wielemaker, S. Price. Coding Guidelines for Prolog. Theory and Practice of Logic Programming. 12(6): 889-927 (2012) (Highly recommended).
  • M. A. Covington. Efficient Prolog: A Practical Guide. Research Report AI-1989-08, The University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, 1989.
  • W. F. Clocksin. Prolog Programming (PowerPoint format).
  • J. Lloyd. Foundations of Logic Programming, second edition. Springer, 1987.
  • R. O'Keefe. The Craft of Prolog. MIT Press, 1990.
  • Open lists and difference lists. A section from Paul Brna's online Prolog book.
  • P. Gloess. Constraint Logic Programming (PowerPoint format).
• System(s):
  • SWI-Prolog. For Windows users there is a convenient SWI-Prolog editor.
  • GNU-Prolog.
  • Prolog mode for (X)Emacs.
• Some interesting on-line resources:
  • Prolog newsgroup.
  • Prolog Development Center.
  • SICStus Prolog web page.
  • Quintus Prolog web page.
  • Related Web resources from the SWI-Prolog Web page.

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Maintained by Temur Kutsia

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