An algebraic approach for the unsatisfiability of nonlinear constraints

  • Authors:
  • Ashish Tiwari

  • Affiliations:
  • SRI International, Menlo Park, CA

  • Venue:
  • CSL'05 Proceedings of the 19th international conference on Computer Science Logic
  • Year:
  • 2005

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Abstract

We describe a simple algebraic semi-decision procedure for detecting unsatisfiability of a (quantifier-free) conjunction of nonlinear equalities and inequalities. The procedure consists of Gröbner basis computation plus extension rules that introduce new definitions, and hence it can be described as a critical-pair completion-based logical procedure. This procedure is shown to be sound and refutationally complete. When projected onto the linear case, our procedure reduces to the Simplex method for solving linear constraints. If only finitely many new definitions are introduced, then the procedure is also terminating. Such terminating, but potentially incomplete, procedures are used in “incompleteness-tolerant” applications.