Chains and Using Clips

In lab 1, you made a simple rule based system. In this lab you're going to make a more complex system where a series of rules fires based on a single fact. You will also explore the printout facility, the agenda command and stepping. Finally, you will make rules that have complex left hand sides where multiple facts are combined.

• Load up clips again
• You might want to check your lab1 file by loading it in, but you may want to clear the rule after.
• We want two rules to fire. Make two rules, one that is of the form if A then B, and another if B then C. Assert A and run.
• That's a chain of reasoning. If you know A, then you derive B, then C. An example of this would be I know A Fred is an Ape, I know the rules that Apes are Primate(B), and Primates are Mammals(C), so I know Fred is a Primate and a Mammal. Remember it is important how you define your facts.
• Now add another rule if A then D; (Apes have thumbs(D)). This is not a chain of reasoning, but multiple rules being applied from the same fact (Fred is an ape).
• Reset and assert the fact A.
• Now two rules should be applicable: A->B and A->D.
• Which one is going to applied? If you run both will be applied, but which is applied first.
• The agenda command shows you which rule runs first
• You can step (Ctrl-T) on the menu to make the rules go one at a time
• For me AB was first. I also used the watch menu item and selected rules and facts. When I used run I got to see the order of application
• So far all that is happening is the facts are being asserted. You can also print things to the screen.
• add a rule df that has as its right hand side (RHS):
  (printout t "hey" crlf) (crlf is carriage return line feed)
• run it and hey and a new line will be printed
• If you run it again why don't you get hey?
• Add a new rule DF that prints out heyF and a line feed, and assert the fact F
• If you reset and run, what will happen?
• After the reset, if you assert A and run, what will happen? What will be the new facts?
• Now add a new rule AD-G that has two clauses on the left hand side if A and D then G. (You don't have to use any sign)
• If you reset, assert A and run what rules will run? What will the output be? What order will the rules run in? What will the facts be?
• Now add a rule AD-H that says A or D then H. Here you have to use the or operator and pass it D and H on the LHS.
• When I run it H gets added twice (step through or use printout). Does it for you?
• Now add a rule notAD-I: if not(A or D) then I
• When you reset and run is there anything odd?
• Now reset and make your own system. This should have a chain of reasoning that is at least 4 rules long. It should derive some fact that seems contradictory.
• Try a rule that will run once for each of 3 different assertions