scholarly journals THE FLUTED FRAGMENT REVISITED

2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 1020-1048
Author(s):  
IAN PRATT-HARTMANN ◽  
WIESŁAW SZWAST ◽  
LIDIA TENDERA
Keyword(s):  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Satisfiability Problem ◽  
Complexity Bounds ◽  
First Order ◽  
Complexity Results ◽  
Decidable Fragment ◽  
Image Position ◽  
Exponential Size

AbstractWe study the fluted fragment, a decidable fragment of first-order logic with an unbounded number of variables, motivated by the work of W. V. Quine. We show that the satisfiability problem for this fragment has nonelementary complexity, thus refuting an earlier published claim by W. C. Purdy that it is in NExpTime. More precisely, we consider ${\cal F}{{\cal L}^m}$, the intersection of the fluted fragment and the m-variable fragment of first-order logic, for all $m \ge 1$. We show that, for $m \ge 2$, this subfragment forces $\left\lfloor {m/2} \right\rfloor$-tuply exponentially large models, and that its satisfiability problem is $\left\lfloor {m/2} \right\rfloor$-NExpTime-hard. We further establish that, for $m \ge 3$, any satisfiable ${\cal F}{{\cal L}^m}$-formula has a model of at most ($m - 2$)-tuply exponential size, whence the satisfiability (= finite satisfiability) problem for this fragment is in ($m - 2$)-NExpTime. Together with other, known, complexity results, this provides tight complexity bounds for ${\cal F}{{\cal L}^m}$ for all $m \le 4$.

Small substructures and decidability issues for first-order logic with two variables

2012 ◽  
Vol 77 (3) ◽  
pp. 729-765 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Kieroński ◽  
Martin Otto
Keyword(s):  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Equivalence Relations ◽  
Finite Model ◽  
Model Property ◽  
Finite Model Property ◽  
First Order ◽  
Surrounding Structure ◽  
Small Model ◽  
Exponential Size

AbstractWe study first-order logic with two variables FO2 and establish a small substructure property. Similar to the small model property for FO2 we obtain an exponential size bound on embedded substructures, relative to a fixed surrounding structure that may be infinite. We apply this technique to analyse the satisfiability problem for FO2 under constraints that require several binary relations to be interpreted as equivalence relations. With a single equivalence relation, FO2 has the finite model property and is complete for non-deterministic exponential time, just as for plain FO2. With two equivalence relations, FO2 does not have the finite model property, but is shown to be decidable via a construction of regular models that admit finite descriptions even though they may necessarily be infinite. For three or more equivalence relations, FO2 is undecidable.

Two variable first-order logic over ordered domains

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 (2) ◽  
pp. 685-702 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Otto
Keyword(s):  
Order Logic ◽  
Decision Problems ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Satisfiability Problem ◽  
Exponential Time ◽  
Infinite Domains ◽  
First Order ◽  
Computation Tree ◽  
Common Extension ◽  
Undecidability Result

AbstractThe satisfiability problem for the two-variable fragment of first-order logic is investigated over finite and infinite linearly ordered, respectively wellordered domains, as well as over finite and infinite domains in which one or several designated binary predicates are interpreted as arbitrary wellfounded relations.It is shown that FO2 over ordered, respectively wellordered. domains or in the presence of one well-founded relation, is decidable for satisfiability as well as for finite satisfiability. Actually the complexity of these decision problems is essentially the same as for plain unconstrained FO2. namely non-deterministic exponential time.In contrast FO2 becomes undecidable for satisfiability and for finite satisfiability, if a sufficiently large number of predicates are required to be interpreted as orderings. wellorderings. or as arbitrary wellfounded relations. This undecidability result also entails the undecidability of the natural common extension of FO2 and computation tree logic CTL.

Hybrid logics: characterization, interpolation and complexity

2001 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 977-1010 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carlos Areces ◽  
Patrick Blackburn ◽  
Maarten Marx
Keyword(s):  
Recent Work ◽  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Constrained System ◽  
First Order ◽  
Complexity Results

AbstractHybrid languages are expansions of propositional modal languages which can refer to (or even quantify over) worlds. The use of strong hybrid languages dates back to at least [Pri67], but recent work (for example [BS98, BT98a, BT99]) has focussed on a more constrained system called H(↓, @). We show in detail that (↓, @) is modally natural. We begin by studying its expressivity, and provide model theoretic characterizations (via a restricted notion of Ehrenfeucht-Fraïssé game, and an enriched notion of bisimulation) and a syntactic characterization (in terms of bounded formulas). The key result to emerge is that (↓, @) corresponds to the fragment of first-order logic which is invariant for generated submodels. We then show that (↓, @) enjoys (strong) interpolation, provide counterexamples for its finite variable fragments, and show that weak interpolation holds for the sublanguage (@). Finally, we provide complexity results for (@) and other fragments and variants, and sharpen known undecidability results for (↓, @).

scholarly journals The Triguarded Fragment with Transitivity

10.29007/z359 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emanuel Kieronski ◽  
Adam Malinowski
Keyword(s):  
Decision Procedure ◽  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Satisfiability Problem ◽  
First Order ◽  
Free Variables ◽  
Guarded Fragment

The triguarded fragment of first-order logic is an extension of the guarded fragment in which quantification for subformulas with at most two free variables need not be guarded. Thus, it unifies two prominent decidable logics: the guarded fragment and the two-variable fragment. Its satisfiability problem is known to be undecidable in the presence of equality, but becomes decidable when equality is forbidden. We consider an extension of the tri- guarded fragment without equality by transitive relations, allowing them to be used only as guards. We show that the satisfiability problem for the obtained formalism is decidable and 2-ExpTime-complete, that is, it is of the same complexity as for the analogous exten- sion of the classical guarded fragment. In fact, in our satisfiability test we use a decision procedure for the latter as a subroutine. We also show how our approach, consisting in exploiting some existing results on guarded logics, can be used to reprove some known facts, as well as to derive some other new results on triguarded logics.

A probabilistic interpolation theorem

1985 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 708-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
Douglas N. Hoover
Keyword(s):  
Interpolation Theorem ◽  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Probability Logic ◽  
Admissible Set ◽  
First Order ◽  
Probability Spaces ◽  
Image Position ◽  
Dedekind Cuts ◽  
Exact Definition

The probability logic is a logic with a natural interpretation on probability spaces (thus, a logic whose model theory is part of probability theory rather than a system for putting probabilities on formulas of first order logic). Its exact definition and basic development are contained in the paper [3] of H. J. Keisler and the papers [1] and [2] of the author. Building on work in [2], we prove in this paper the following probabilistic interpolation theorem for .Let L be a countable relational language, and let A be a countable admissible set with ω ∈ A (in this paper some probabilistic notation will be used, but ω will always mean the least infinite ordinal). is the admissible fragment of corresponding to A. We will assume that L is a countable set in A, as is usual in practice, though all that is in fact needed for our proof is that L be a set in A which is wellordered in A.Theorem. Let ϕ(x) and ψ(x) be formulas of LAP such thatwhere ε ∈ [0, 1) is a real in A (reals may be defined in the usual way as Dedekind cuts in the rationals). Then for any real d > ε¼, there is a formula θ(x) of (L(ϕ) ∩ L(ψ))AP such thatand

The foundations of Suslin logic

1975 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
pp. 567-575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Ellentuck
Keyword(s):  
Finite Sequence ◽  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Infinitary Logic ◽  
First Order ◽  
Finite Sequences ◽  
Image Position

Let L be a first order logic and the infinitary logic (as described in [K, p. 6] over L. Suslin logic is obtained from by adjoining new propositional operators and . Let f range over elements of ωω and n range over elements of ω. Seq is the set of all finite sequences of elements of ω. If θ: Seq → is a mapping into formulas of then and are formulas of LA. If is a structure in which we can interpret and h is an -assignment then we extend the notion of satisfaction from to by definingwhere f ∣ n is the finite sequence consisting of the first n values of f. We assume that has ω symbols for relations, functions, constants, and ω1 variables. θ is valid if θ ⊧ [h] for every h and is valid if -valid for every . We address ourselves to the problem of finding syntactical rules (or nearly so) which characterize validity .

On the first-order logic of terms

1973 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-188
Author(s):  
Lars Svenonius
Keyword(s):  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Identity Function ◽  
First Order ◽  
Elementary Condition ◽  
Combinatorial Function ◽  
The One ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Image Position

By an elementary condition in the variablesx1, …, xn, we mean a conjunction of the form x1 ≤ i < j ≤ naij where each aij is one of the formulas xi = xj or xi ≠ xj. (We should add that the formula x1 = x1 should be regarded as an elementary condition in the one variable x1.)Clearly, according to this definition, some elementary conditions are inconsistent, some are consistent. For instance (in the variables x1, x2, x3) the conjunction x1 = x2 & x1 = x3 & x2 ≠ x3 is inconsistent.By an elementary combinatorial function (ex. function) we mean any function which can be given a definition of the formwhere E1(x1, …, xn), …, Ek(x1, …, xn) is an enumeration of all consistent elementary conditions in x1, …, xn, and all the numbers d1, …, dk are among 1, …, n.Examples. (1) The identity function is the only 1-ary e.c. function.(2) A useful 3-ary e.c. function will be called J. The definition is

On the semantics of the Henkin quantifier

1979 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 184-200 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał Krynicki ◽  
Alistair H. Lachlan
Keyword(s):  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
First Order ◽  
Original Definition ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Image Position

In [5] Henkin defined a quantifier, which we shall denote by QH: linking four variables in one formula. This quantifier is related to the notion of formulas in which the usual universal and existential quantifiers occur but are not linearly ordered. The original definition of QH wasHere (QHx1x2y1y2)φ is true if for every x1 there exists y1 such that for every x2 there exists y2, whose choice depends only on x2 not on x1 and y1 such that φ(x14, x2, y1, y2). Another way of writing this isIn [5] it was observed that the logic L(QH) obtained by adjoining QH defined as in (1) is more powerful than first-order logic. In particular, it turned out that the quantifier “there exist infinitely many” denoted Q0 was definable from QH because

On the Decision Problem for Two-Variable First-Order Logic

1997 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-69 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erich Grädel ◽  
Phokion G. Kolaitis ◽  
Moshe Y. Vardi
Keyword(s):  
Computational Complexity ◽  
Decision Problem ◽  
Order Logic ◽  
First Order Logic ◽  
Satisfiability Problem ◽  
Finite Model ◽  
Model Property ◽  
Finite Model Property ◽  
First Order ◽  
Long Time

AbstractWe identify the computational complexity of the satisfiability problem for FO2, the fragment of first-order logic consisting of all relational first-order sentences with at most two distinct variables. Although this fragment was shown to be decidable a long time ago, the computational complexity of its decision problem has not been pinpointed so far. In 1975 Mortimer proved that FO2 has the finite-model property, which means that if an FO2-sentence is satisiable, then it has a finite model. Moreover, Mortimer showed that every satisfiable FO2-sentence has a model whose size is at most doubly exponential in the size of the sentence. In this paper, we improve Mortimer's bound by one exponential and show that every satisfiable FO2-sentence has a model whose size is at most exponential in the size of the sentence. As a consequence, we establish that the satisfiability problem for FO2 is NEXPTIME-complete.

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