UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO - STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
The Department of Computer Science & Engineering

CSE 463/563: INTRODUCTION TO KNOWLEDGE REPRESENTATION & REASONING Spring 2005

SYLLABUS

This course is the first semester of a 2-semester sequence (followed by CSE 663), but will be self-contained, concentrating on logic as a universal, basic, "core" KRR formalism.

You will be introduced to the issues and techniques of representing and reasoning about knowledge and belief in a computer system and to the syntax and semantics of various representational and reasoning formalisms including classical propositional and first-order predicate logic and semantic networks.

Some Useful Quotes about KRR:

• "The core of AI is...knowledge representation"
  • Graeme Hirst, Canadian AI #21 (October 1989): 10.

• "The key to finding powerful procedures that can solve [AI]...problems is to discover appropriate representations of the relevant information. Once a representation is given that `make[s] the right things explicit and expose[s] natural constraints' [Winston], it is a much simpler matter to devise purely computational procedures to manipulate the information, still in its encoded representation."
  • G. N. Reeke, Jr., & Gerald M. Edelman (1988), "Real Brains and Artificial Intelligence," Daedalus (Winter 1988): 146-147.

• "What structures must be built into a system to allow it to learn? This is a central question for current AI, and the answer depends on issues of knowledge representation: How should knowledge be represented? Out of what components...are knowledge structures built?"
  • David Waltz, "The Prospects for Building Truly Intelligent Machines," Daedalus (Winter 1988): 192.

• "[A] program has common sense if it automatically deduces for itself a sufficiently wide class of immediate consequences of anything it is told and what it already knows....In order for a program to be capable of learning something it must first be capable of being told it.
  • John McCarthy, "Programs with Common Sense" (1959); reprinted in Marvin Minsky (ed.), Semantic Information Processing (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1968).

CSE 463: CSE 305, or permission of instructor.
CSE 563: Graduate standing and knowledge of a high-level programming language (such as Lisp), or permission of instructor.

STAFF:

Professor:

Dr. William J. Rapaport, 214 Bell Hall, 645-3180 x 112, rapaport@cse.buffalo.edu
Office Hours: Mondays, 2:00--2:50 p.m.; Tuesdays, 2:30--3:20 p.m.; and by appointment.

Teaching Assistant:

Albert Goldfain; Trailer E8, 645-3771, ag33@cse.buffalo.edu
Office Hours: Mondays, 11:00 a.m.--12:00 noon; Tuesdays, 1:30--2:30 p.m.; and by appointment.

Note: Trailer E is between Furnas Hall & Ketter Hall.

• Brachman, Ronald J., & Levesque, Hector J. (2004), Knowledge Representation and Reasoning (San Francisco: Morgan Kaufman/Elsevier), isbn=1-55860-932-6.

IMPORTANT DATES & TENTATIVE SCHEDULE:

Note: I have adjusted some of the dates below to reflect what we actually did in class, rather than on what I had hoped to do:-)

DAY	MONTH	DATE	TOPICS	READINGS (from B&L, unless otherwise noted
W	Jan.	19	Introduction to KRR	Preface; Ch. 1
F		21		Shapiro 2003
M		24		Reddy 2003 Recommended: Friedland et al. 2004
M		31	SNePSLOG as an example of a real KRR system	Ch. 2 (initial reading)
W	Feb.	2	Toy ontology: Blocks world; Syntax vs. Semantics
F	Feb.	4	Classical Logic: Propositional Logic syntax and semantics	Rapaport 1992#1; plus one of: Bender 1996, Nilsson 1998, Coppin 2004
M		7	propositional logic: syntax and semantics (continued) & proof theory	see above
W		9		Ch. 3 (initial reading)
F		11	propositional logic: proof theory (cont'd.) & natural deduction	see online readings, above
W		16	propositional logic: natural deduction (cont'd.) & semantic inference (truth tables)	see above
F		18	Classical Logic: First-Order Logic (FOL)	Ch. 2 (re-read carefully); Rapaport 1992#2
M		21	Programming Project 1 assigned FOL syntax	Re-read Ch.2: pp.15-18 carefully
F		25	FOL: representation of English sentences	parts of Ch.3 "Representing English Sentences in FOL"
W	Mar.	2	Review for Exam
F		4	*** MIDTERM EXAM ***
W		7	FOL: model-theoretic semantics	Re-read Ch.2, pp.18-24 carefully
M		9	Review of Exam
F		11	FOL: model theory (cont'd.) NOTE: proof theory covered in recitation! Last R Day
M		14	Spring Break
W		16	Spring Break
F		18	Spring Break
M		21	Automated Theorem Proving: Clause Form	Re-read Ch.4 carefully
W		23	Clause Form (concluded), Resolution, Refutation
F		25	Resolution (concluded)
M		28	Unification
W		30	Unification (cont'd)
F	Apr.	1	Unification (concluded)
M		4	Problems with FOL	Shapiro 2000
W		6	The SNePS KRRA System: SNePSLOG demos (see /projects/rapaport/563/)	Martins 2002
F	Apr.	8	semantic networks SNePS: propositional representation	Shapiro & Rapaport 1987 OR (inclusive! :-) Shapiro & Rapaport 1995
M		11	SNePS: propositional representation (cont'd)	Recommended: Shapiro & Rapaport 1995 OR (inclusive! :-) Shapiro & Rapaport 1987
W		13	SNePS: SNeBR belief revision	Recommended: Martins 2002 OR Martins & Shapiro 1988
F	Apr	15	Project 1 Due Project 2 assigned! SNePS: node-based, path-based inference	Recommended: Martins 2002; Shapiro & Rapaport 1987
M		18	SNePS: intensional KR	Recommended: Shapiro & Rapaport 1987; SNePS readings on intensionality
W		20	SNePS: ontology (case frames)	Recommended: Shapiro et al. 1996
F		22	SNePS: ontology (concluded)	Shapiro & Kandefer 2005
M		25	Ontology	Re-read Ch. 3; Smith 2003
W		27	Ontology (cont'd.)	Mark & Turk 2003
F		29	Project 2 due!; Is KR necessary?	Brooks 1991
M	May	2	Last Class: Summary & Review	Davis et al. 1993
T		3	Reading Day
W		4	Reading Day
Th		5	Final Exam 11:45 a.m.-2:45 p.m. Knox 4

• Readings will not necessarily match the corresponding lecture topics, and may often be several days in advance. However, no matter how far we stray from the tentative schedule, if you do the readings at the assigned times, you will be able to finish everything by the end of the semester.

• Not all assigned readings will be covered in lecture (in lecture, we will only cover interesting or hard material, plus some material that is not in the assigned reading), but you are responsible for all assigned material in the assigned reading and lectures.

• There are 3 levels at which you can keep up with the reading assignments:

  1. Minimal: Just read the chapters in the text and any other required materials that I assign.

  2. Medium: Read at the minimal level, plus read the recommended-reading items that I will announce from time to time; these will typically be classic papers in KRR.

  3. Maximal: Read at the medium level, plus read some or all of the other readings that I will suggest in lecture or post to the course website or Listserv, and/or that are (recursively :-) listed in the bibliographies of any of these readings.

• For advice on how to read a computer science text, see "How to Read (a Computer Science Text)".

1. You will be expected to attend all lectures and recitations, and to complete all readings and assignments on time. There will be (more-or-less) weekly homework assignments, 2 programming projects, a mid-term exam, and a final exam (during exam week). Taking both the exams is a necessary condition for passing the course (i.e., you must take both exams in order to pass the course).

2. All homeworks will be announced in lecture. Therefore, be sure to get a classmate's phone number (for instance, 1 or 2 people sitting next to you in class, whoever they are!) so that you will not miss assignments in the unlikely event that you miss a class. There may be occasional extra assignments and quizzes in recitations.

3. Email list:

   You will automatically be placed on an email list (a "Listserv") for the course. If you do not normally read email at the email address that UB has as your official address, please either do so for this course, or else have your mail forwarded. I will use this list as my main means of communicating with you out of class, and you can use it to communicate with the rest of us.

   You may send questions and comments that are of general interest to the entire class using the Listserv: Just send them to:

   cse563-sp05-list@listserv.buffalo.edu

   You can also send email just to me, at:

   rapaport@cse.buffalo.edu

   In any case, be sure to fill in the subject line, beginning with "CSE 563: " so that my mailer doesn't think it's spam.

   If you send email to me that I deem to be of general interest, I will feel free to remail it anonymously to the email list along with my reply unless you explicitly tell me otherwise.

   I will archive the emails at http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/563S05/email.txt.

   For more information, read the Listserv Information webpage.

4. Just as you cannot expect to learn how to drive a car by reading about it or by watching other people do it, the same holds true for doing computer science. Do your work on time--this is one course you simply cannot cram for at the last minute, so don't even try! I cannot stress this strongly enough. Homeworks and--especially--projects may be fairly time-consuming, so please consider your other commitments, and plan your time accordingly.

5. Students should notify Prof. Rapaport within the first two weeks of class if they have a disability which would make it difficult to carry out course work as outlined (requiring note-takers, readers, extended test time).

1. HW assignments will generally be of the "paper-and-pencil" variety, to be done at home.

2. The purposes of homeworks are:
   • to give you practice in applying the concepts covered in the course
   • to give you a chance to assess the level of your understanding

3. There will be approximately 1 HW each week.

4. Due dates will be announced in lecture when the homework is assigned. HWs will be collected at the start of lecture on the due date. This is so that the homework can be discussed in the class period when it is due.

   If they are turned in after the start of lecture, your grade will be discounted by one full letter grade (e.g., A becomes B, A- becomes B-, etc.).

   If they are turned in after the start of the next lecture, your grade will be discounted by two full letter grades (e.g., A becomes C, A- becomes C-, etc.).

   If you turn in a HW after the start of the class after that, your grade will be discounted by three full letter grades (e.g., A becomes D, etc.).

   No HWs will be accepted after that.

5. Put your full name, date, and your recitation number and day (B1/Mon or B2/Wed) at the top right-hand side of each page, and secure all pages with a staple in the top left-hand corner.

6. Note: The lowest homework grade will be dropped. You should assume that you will fail to turn in one homework (oversleep, get stuck in traffic, etc.)--that's the one that will be dropped. If you know now that you will regularly be late, see me to make alternative arrangements for turning in your work. Your graded HW will be returned in recitation. Occasional extra assignments or quizzes from lab can be used to replace low HW grades, at your TA's discretion.

1. Programming Languages, Lisp, and Unix: The prerequisite for this course is knowledge of any high-level programming language.

   But you are strongly advised to (learn and) use Lisp if you intend to do any research in AI. Moreover, there are good reasons and easy ways to learn Lisp!

   CSE 463 students will have accounts on the CSE undergraduate machines; CSE 563 students will have accounts on the Grad Lab machines. If you do not have access to these machines, please let me know as soon as possible! You will be expected to learn how to use Unix, emacs, etc., on your own. CIT offers short courses on Unix, etc. To contact CIT:

   in person:	216 Computing Center
   by phone:	645-3542
   by fax:	645-3617
   by email:	cit-helpdesk@buffalo.edu
   on the Web:	http://wings.buffalo.edu/computing/Help-Desk/ http://www.cit.buffalo.edu/students/

2. Project Policies:
   • For each project, you will be expected to hand in a conference-style paper, typed or printed from a computer file, on 8.5 x 11-inch paper (stapled in the upper left-hand corner, and with your own title page [not the one generated by the printer!]), plus a well-documented listing of your program. (Please do not use folders or covers, unless your report is too thick to be stapled.) I strongly suggest that you learn to use Latex and ispell.

     In the real world, you will be expected to write papers, either for presentation at conferences, publication in journals, or presentation to your boss or co-workers. No one reads computer programs except the programmer him- or herself, or someone else who has to modify the program. Users and other people want to read about the program, what it does, how it works, etc., and to see it in action. Consequently, the main product of your work is the paper, not the program! In the paper, you should say what you have done, and say (in English summary, not in programming detail) how you have done it. It should also include annotated examples of your program in action. These should be well chosen to illustrate the range of performance of your program. The examples should not be redundant, nor included merely because they look complicated. Each example should illustrate a particular ability of your program. Nevertheless, the reader will assume that your program does nothing interesting that isn't illustrated! To see an example of such a paper, you can read:

     Goldfain, Albert (2003), "Computationally Defining "harbinger" via Contextual Vocabulary Acquisition" [PDF].

     The program listing should either be presented as figures throughout the paper, or as an appendix. In either case, the listing is included as documentation for what you say in the paper.

     Thus, each report must consist of the following components:

     • descriptive title (not: "Project 1")

     • your name, the course number (either CSE 463 or CSE 563), your recitation section & day (B1/Mon or B2/Wed), & date due

     • abstract of project (a 1-paragraph summary)

     • description of the project (the body of the paper)

     • list of references (if appropriate)

     • annotated sample runs (could be part of the description of the project)

     • commented code (could be as an appendix)

   • For general advice on how to prepare a written report, see my web page, "How to Write".

   • Late policy for projects:

     • Projects must be handed in at the start of lecture on the due date.

     • Projects handed in between the start of lecture on the due date and the start of the next class are 1 day late.

     • Projects handed in between the start of class on the nth day after the due date and the start of the next class are n+1 days late.

     • Each project that is n days late loses n full letter grades. (E.g., an `A' paper that is 1 day late gets a `B'.)

     • Rule of thumb: In general, you are better off handing in an incomplete project--with a report that indicates what programming problems you had and what you left unfinished--than handing in a late project that is complete.

   HOW TO STUDY:

   For general advice on how to study for any course, see my web page, "How to Study".

   GRADING:

   Undergrads (in 463) and grads (in 563) will be graded on different bases. All graded work will receive a letter grade: 'A', 'A-', 'B+', 'B', 'B-', 'C+', 'C', 'C-' (463 only), 'D+' (463 only), 'D', or 'F'. Your course grade will be calculated as a weighted average of all letter grades according to the following weights:

   Recitation grade (including attendance, homeworks, quizzes, etc.)	25%
   Projects	25%
   Midterm Exam	25%
   Final Exam	25%
   Total	100%

   For further information, see my web document on "How I Grade"

   Incompletes:

   It is University policy that a grade of Incomplete is to be given only when a small amount of work or a single exam is missed due to circumstances beyond the student's control, and that student is otherwise doing passing work. And it is CSE departmental policy that Incompletes cannot be made up merely by auditing another section of this course. I will follow these policies strictly! Thus, you should assume that I will not give incompletes :-) (This is even more important since I expect to be on sabbatical next semester and, thus, unavailable to handle Incompletes.) Any incompletes that I might have to give, in a lapse of judgment :-), will have to be made up by the end of the Fall 2005 semester. For more information on Incomplete policies, see the web page, "Incompletes".

   ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

   While it is acceptable to discuss general approaches with your fellow students, the work you turn in must be your own. It is the policy of this department that any violation of academic integrity will result in an F for the course, that all departmental financial support including teaching assistanceship, research assistanceship, or scholarships be terminated, that notification of this action be placed in the student's confidential departmental record, and that the student be permanently ineligible for future departmental financial support. If you have any problems doing the assignments, consult Prof. Rapaport. Please be sure to read the webpage, "Academic Integrity: Policies and Procedures", which spells out all the details of this, and related, policies.

   CLASSROOM DISRUPTIONS:

   In large classes (such as this), students have been known to be disruptive, either to the instructor or to fellow students. The university's policies on this topic, both how the instructor should respond and how students should behave, may be found in the document "Obstruction or Disruption in the Classroom - Policies".
   
   

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   Copyright © 2005 by William J. Rapaport (rapaport@cse.buffalo.edu)
   file: 563S05/syl-2005-04-22.html