SlideServe
Télécharger Obtenir Pro
Menu
Accueil Pro
Préférences
ApparenceLight Aide et commentaires
© SlideServe · v2026

Backtracking Search Vs. Variable Elimination for Propositional Satisfiability

aurora-whitney avatar
aurora-whitney
14 diapositives · 291 Views · Nov 28, 2014

This paper explores two key strategies for solving the Propositional Satisfiability Problem: Backtracking Search and Variable Elimination. Backtracking Search involves recursively searching a tree of variable assignments, abandoning paths that do not meet constraints. In contrast, Variable Elimination modifies Boolean equations to progressively remove variables, ensuring the formula retains the potential to evaluate to TRUE. We also discuss the historical development of these methods, referencing the Davis-Putnam algorithm and its adaptations, including runtime comparisons.

Backtracking Search Vs. Variable Elimination for Propositional Satisfiability - slide 1
01 / 14Backtracking Search Vs. Variable Elimination for Propositional Satisfiability
1 / 17

Télécharger la présentation

Backtracking Search Vs. Variable Elimination for Propositional Satisfiability
Une image / un lien ci-dessous est fourni (tel quel) pour télécharger la présentation

Politique de téléchargement : le contenu du site vous est fourni TEL QUEL pour votre information et votre usage personnel ; il ne peut être vendu, concédé sous licence ni partagé sur d’autres sites sans l’accord de son auteur.Le contenu vous est fourni TEL QUEL, pour votre information et votre usage personnel uniquement. Téléchargez la présentation en cliquant sur ce lien. Lors du téléchargement, si vous ne parvenez pas à télécharger une présentation, l’éditeur a peut-être supprimé le fichier de son serveur.Pendant le téléchargement, si vous ne parvenez pas à obtenir une présentation, le fichier a peut-être été supprimé par l’éditeur.

F I N

Plus de contenu associé

Transcription de la présentation

  1. Backtracking Search Vs. Variable Elimination for Propositional Satisfiability Willis Lemasters Grant Conklin

  2. Backtracking Search: Searching a tree recursively one branch at a time, abandoning any branch which does not satisfy the search constraints.

  3. Variable Elimination: Modifying a boolean equation to remove variables.

  4. Propositional Satisfiability: This refers to the problem of determining if there is a combination of values for the variables in a Boolean formula which cause the formula to evaluate as TRUE.

  5. Backtracking Applied to Propositional Satisfiability: The tree representing all the possible combinations of values for the variables in a Boolean formula is searched using a backtracking search until a path is found which causes the formula to evaluate as TRUE.

  6. Variable Elimination Applied to Propositional Satisfiability: The variables in a Boolean formula are progressively eliminated in a way which forces the formula to continually have the option of evaluating to TRUE. At the end, the formula will either evaluate to TRUE, or there will be no valid variable values which allow that possibility after the elimination of some variable, in which case there is no way the formula can possibly evaluate to TRUE.

  7. Davis-Putnam Algorithm or DP-resolution/DR Created in 1960 by Martin Davis and Hilary Putnam Resolution based algorithm for deciding satisfiability. Proved that restricting the amount of resolution performed along the ordering of the propositions is enough to decide satisfiability. Was not given much attention.

  8. DP-resolution cont. Analysis of its runtime focuses mainly on its exponential worst case rather than its efficiency in certain situations. Quickly replaced by the Davis-Putnam Procedure which is a minor modification of this algorithm.

  9. Psuedocode of Davis-Putnam Algorithm (Variable Elimination/Resolution) Directional Resolution: DR Input:A cnf theory φ, o = Q1, …, Qn. Output:The decision of whether φ is satisfiable. If it is, the directional extension Eo(φ) equivalent to φ. 1. Initialize:generate a partition of clauses, bucket1, …, bucketn, where bucketi contains all the clauses whose highest literal is Qi. 2. Fori = n to 1 do: If there is a unit clause in bucketi, do unit resolution in bucketi elseresolve each pair {(α V Qi), (β V¬Qi)} bucketi. If γ = α V β is empty, return “φ is unsatisfiable". elseadd γ to the bucket of its highest variable. 3. Return“φ is satis_able" and Eo(φ) = Uibucketi.

  10. Davis-Putnam Procedure or DP-backtracking Was introduced in 1962 by Davis, Logemann, and Loveland. A minor syntactic change from DP- resolution. They replaced the resolution rule with a splitting rule. This removed the exponential memory explosion which caused the exponential worst-case run time.

  11. DP-backtracking cont. This change caused the algorithm to no longer be resolution or variable elimination based. Instead the algorithm became a backtracking search algorithm. Most work done in the field of propositional satisfiability quotes the backtracking version and not the resolution version.

  12. Psuedocode of Davis-Putnam Procedure(Backtracking Search) DP(φ): Input: A cnf theory φ. Output: A decision of whether φ is satisfiable. 1. Unit_propagate(φ); 2. If the empty clause generated return(false); 3. else if all variables are assigned return(true); 4. else 5. Q = some unassigned variable; 6. return(DP(φ ∧ ¬Q) V DP(φ ∧ Q))

  13. Runtime Comparison of DP-resolution and DP-backtracking n: number of variables w*: induced width

  14. References 1. Davis, Logemann, and Loveland (Davis, M., Logemann, G., and Loveland, D. (1962). "A machine program for theorem proving." Communications of the ACM, 5(7): 394--397) 2. Davis and Putnam (Davis, M. and Putnam, H. (1960). "A computing procedure for quantification theory." Journal of the ACM, 7(3): 201--215.) 3. Rish and Dechter (Irina Rish and RinaDechter. "Resolution versus Search: Two Strategies for SAT." Journal of Automated Reasoning, 24, 215--259, 2000.)