Definite Programs

Abstract

This chapter is concerned with the declarative and procedural semantics of definite programs. First, we introduce the concept of the least Herbrand model of a definite program and prove various important properties of such models. Next, we define correct answers, which provide a declarative description of the desired output from a program and a goal. The procedural counterpart of a correct answer is a computed answer, which is defined using SLD-resolution. We prove that every computed answer is correct and that every correct answer is an instance of a computed answer. This establishes the soundness and completeness of SLD-resolution, that is, shows that SLD-resolution produces only and all correct answers. Other important results established are the independence of the computation rule and the fact that any computable function can be computed by a definite program. Two pragmatic aspects of PROLOG implementations are also discussed. These are the omission of the occur check from the unification algorithm and the control facility, cut.