CS 343: Midterm Study Guide

Exam Date: Monday, October 22, 2007, in class.

Reading: Russell & Norvig, Chapters 3-9.

Topics Covered in Class:

  1. State Space Search: Definition of State Space; breadth-first, depth-first, bounded depth-first searches: algorithms, comparisons, advantages, disadvantages; iterative deepening; uniform-cost search; heuristic search: functions f, g, h and their meanings; A* algorithm; admissability of A*; IDA*; hill climbing.
  2. Problem Reduction Search: definition; comparison to state space search; AND/OR graph; solution to an AND/OR graph.
  3. Descriptions of games with AND/OR graphs: game tree; static evaluation function; depth bound; minimax position evaluation: rationale and comparison to static evaluation; be able to do a minimax evaluation of a given game tree. Alpha/beta search: advantages, comparison to plain minimax search; be able to show alpha/beta search on a given game tree.
  4. GPS (General Problem Solver): how it works; differences; table of connections; means/ends analysis.
  5. Heuristic Dendral: what it does; the state space; how is the state space reduced?
  6. Symbolic algebraic manipulation: examples, uses; representation of formulas in Lisp.
  7. Propositional Logic: well-formed formulas (wffs); interpretations; truth/falsity under an interpretation; valid, invalid, consistent, inconsistent, satisfiable, unsatisfiable; equivalence of formulas; backward chaining, forward chaining, resolution for propositional calculus.
  8. Predicate Calculus: well formed formula; Skolemization; clause form; ground instance; substitution; unification; resolution for predicate calculus; unit preference; set of support; natural deduction, forward chaining, backward chaining; Horn clauses; STRIPS: components of a STRIPS operator, how operators are chosen.


A* algorithm add list admissible
algebraic simplification alpha/beta search AND node
AND/OR graph
atom or atomic formula
average branching factor
backward chaining backward search beam search
blind search
Boolean satisfiability (SAT)
bounded depth-first box
branching factor breadth-first
clause closed list
closed world assumption (CWA) combinatoric explosion complete
conjunctive normal form (CNF) consistent
constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) credit assignment problem
decidable deduction
delete list depth bound
depth-first diameter difference
effective branching factor entail evaluation function
expand a node
first-order logic fluent forward chaining
frame problem
game tree genetic algorithm
goal state GPS ground instance
heuristic function
heuristic search hill climbing
Horn clause IDA*
interpretation invalid iterative deepening
local maxima logical consequence
minimax model model checking
modus ponens negation as failure
non-monotonic logic open list
operator OR node
pattern matching ply
precondition predicate predicate calculus
primitive subproblem problem reduction search propositional logic
quantifier representation hypothesis resolvent
retract rewrite rule
set of support
Skolem constant Skolem function Skolemization
sound start state
state space static evaluation function
steepest ascent STRIPS operator subproblem
substitution symbolic manipulation
table of connections tautology term
truth maintenance system (TMS) truth table
Turing test unification algorithm
unifier uniform cost search unit clause
unit preference unsatisfiable valid
well-formed formula (wff)