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Optimization of rewriting and complexity of rewriting

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Algebraic and Logic Programming (ALP 1990)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 463))

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Abstract

Term rewriting technique is one of basic deduction tools in algebraic and logic programming. Computing the normal forms of terms is the fundamental step. In this paper, we design several strategies for term rewriting systems. We divide non-ambiguous and left-linear term rewriting systems into three subclasses: variable-more, variable-equal, and variable-fewer, and propose optimal strategies for the two former subclasses and an approximate strategy for the last one. Optimal strategies are the strategies that are guaranteed to generate the shortest rewriting derivations. Finally, we prove that in general, optimal rewriting strategies do not exist unless P = N P even if we assume that we are given canonical term rewriting systems.

This research was supported in part by the Office of Naval Research under contract number N00014-85-0046 and by the National Science Foundation under grant number CCR-89-6949.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Courant Institute, New York University, 251 Mercer Street, 10012, New York, NY, U.S.A.

    Ke Li

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  1. Ke Li
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Hélène Kirchner Wolfgang Wechler

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© 1990 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Li, K. (1990). Optimization of rewriting and complexity of rewriting. In: Kirchner, H., Wechler, W. (eds) Algebraic and Logic Programming. ALP 1990. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 463. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-53162-9_51

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-53162-9_51

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-53162-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-46738-0

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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