Overview of Predicate Calculus Resolution

Resolution provides a complete, uniform proof procedure for predicate calculus that is easily mechanized. A major benefit of resolution is that the complex formulas of predicate calculus are reduced to a few simple forms.

In order to perform resolution, we must first convert the given formulas into standard form:

  1. First, a formula is converted into prenex normal form, in which all quantifiers are at the left.
  2. Skolemization eliminates existential quantifiers: existential variables are replaced by constants or functions.
  3. Universal quantifiers are eliminated; all remaining variables are assumed to be universally quantified.
  4. The resulting formulas are converted to conjunctive normal form.

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