The qualitative representation of physical systems

Enrico Coiera; Enrico Coiera

doi:10.1017/S0269888900006159

1992 Volume 7

Article Contents

Next Previous

RESEARCH ARTICLE Open Access

The qualitative representation of physical systems

Enrico Coiera

More Information

Published online: 07 July 2009
The Knowledge Engineering Review 7, Article number: 10.1017/S0269888900006159 (1992) | Cite this article

Abstract

Abstract: The representation of physical systems using qualitative formalisms is examined in this review, with an emphasis on recent developments in the area. The push to develop reasoning systems incorporating deep knowledge originally focused on naive physical representations, but has now shifted to more formal ones based on qualitative mathematics. The qualitative differential constraint formalism used in systems like QSIM is examined, and current efforts to link this to competing representations like Qualitative Process Theory are noted. Inference and representation are intertwined, and the decision to represent notions like causality explicitly, or infer it from other properties, has shifted as the field has developed. The evolution of causal and functional representations is thus examined. Finally, a growing body of work that allows reasoning systems to utilize multiple representations of a system is identified. Dimensions along which multiple model hierarchies could be constructed are examined, including mode of behaviour, granularity, ontology, and representational depth.
Rights and permissions
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 19921992Cambridge University Press

References

Abu-Hanna A and Gold Y, 1990. “Adaptive, multilevel diagnosis and modelling of dynamic systems” International Journal of Expert Systems31–30.

Google Scholar

Addanki S, Cremonini R and Penberthy SJ, 1989. “Reasoning about assumptions in graphs of models”. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pp 1432–1438.

Google Scholar

Addanki S, Cremonini R and Penberthy SJ, 1989. “Contexts: dynamic identification of common parameters in distributed analysis of complex devices”. In: Proceedings of the 11th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pp 104–109.

Google Scholar

Bobrow D. (ed.), 1984. Qualitative Reasoning About Physical SystemsMIT Press.

Google Scholar

Bratko I, Mozetic I and Lavrac N, 1989. Kardio—A Study in Deep and Qualitative Knowledge for Expert SystemsMIT Press.

Google Scholar

Brooks R, 1991. “Intelligence without representation” Artificial Intelligence47139–159.

Google Scholar

Bunge M, 1979. Causality and Modern ScienceDover Publications.

Google Scholar

Bylander T, 1987. “Using consolidation for reasoning about devices” Technical Report, Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence Department of Computer and Information Science, Ohio State University.

Google Scholar

Bylander T, 1988. “A critique of qualitative simulation from a consolidation viewpoint” IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics18252–263.

Google Scholar

Bylander T, 1990. “Some causal models are deeper than others” Artificial Intelligence in Medicine2123–128.

Google Scholar

Chandrasekaran B, 1983. “Towards a taxonomy of problem solving types” The AI Magazine Winter/Spring, pp 9–17.

Google Scholar

Chiang AC, 1984. Fundamental Methods of Mathematical EconomicsMcGraw-Hill.

Google Scholar

Chiu C, 1988. “Higher order derivative constraints and a QSIM-based total simulation scheme” Technical Report AITR88–65, The University of Texas at Austin, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory.

Google Scholar

Cohn AG, 1989. “Approaches to qualitative reasoning” Artificial Intelligence Review3177–232.

Google Scholar

Coiera EW, 1989. “Reasoning with qualitative disease histories for diagnostic patient monitoring” Ph.D. Thesis, Department of Computer Science, University of New South Wales.

Google Scholar

Coiera EW, 1990. “Monitoring diseases with empirical and model generated histories” Artificial Intelligence in Medicine2135–147.

Google Scholar

Coiera EW, 1992. “Qualitative superposition” Artificial Intelligence (to appear).

Google Scholar

Collins JW and Forbus KD, 1987. “Reasoning about fluids via molecular collections”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-87, pp 590–595.

Google Scholar

Compton P and Jansen R, 1990. “A philosophical basis for knowledge acquisition” Knowledge Acquisition2241–257.

Google Scholar

Crawford J, Farqhuar A and Kuipers B, 1990. “QPC: A compiler from physical models into qualitative differential equations”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-90, pp 365–372.

Google Scholar

Davis R, 1984. “Diagnostic reasoning based on structure and behaviour” Artificial Intelligence24347–410.

Google Scholar

Davis R, 1987. “Robustness and transparency in intelligent systems”. In: Proceedings of the Third Australian Conference on the Applications of Expert Systems, pp 143–164.

Google Scholar

de Kleer J and Brown JS, 1984. “A qualitative physics based on confluences” Artificial Intelligence247–83.

Google Scholar

de Kleer J and Brown JS, 1986. “Theories of causal ordering” Artificial Intelligence2933–61.

Google Scholar

Fishwick PA, 1989. “A study of terminology and issues in qualitative simulation” Simulation525–9.

Google Scholar

Fishwick PA, 1989b. “Qualitative methodology in simulation model engineering” Simulation5295–101.

Google Scholar

Fishwick PA and Zeigler B, 1990. “Qualitative physics: Towards the automation of systems problem solving”. In: Proceedings on AI, Simulation and Planning in High Autonomy Systems IEEE Computer Society Press, pp 118–134.

Google Scholar

Forbus KD, 1984. “Qualitative process theory” Artificial Intelligence2485–168.

Google Scholar

Forbus KD, 1988. “Commonsense physics: A review” Annual Review of Computer Science3197–232.

Google Scholar

Forbus KD, 1990. “The qualitative process engine”. In: Weld D, and de Kleer J (eds.), Readings in Qualitative Reasoning about Physical SystemsMorgan Kaufmann.

Google Scholar

Forbus KD and Gentner D, 1990. “Causal reasoning about quantities”. In: Weld D and de Kleer J (eds.), Readings in Qualitative Reasoning about Physical SystemsMorgan Kaufmann, pp 686–677.

Google Scholar

Gandolfo G, 1981. Methematical Methods and Models in EconomicsNorth-Holland.

Google Scholar

Hamscher W and Davis R, 1987. “Issues in model based troubleshooting” AI Memo 893, Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Google Scholar

Hart PE, 1982. “Directions for AI in the eighties” SIGART79, pp 11–16.

Google Scholar

Hayes PJ, 1979. “The naive physics manifesto”. In: Michie D (ed.), Expert Systems in the Microelectronic AgeEdinburgh University Press.

Google Scholar

Hayes PJ, 1985. “Naive physics 1: Ontology for liquids”. In: JR Hobbs and RC Moore (eds.), pp 71–89. (Reprinted in Weld, D and de Kleer, J, Expert Systems in the Microelectronic Age Edinburgh University Press)

Google Scholar

Hobbs JR and Moore RC (eds.), 1985. Formal Theories of the Commonsense WorldAblex.

Google Scholar

Ironi L, Stefanelli M and Lanzola G, 1990. “Qualitative models in medical diagnosis” Artificial Intelligence in Medicine285–101.

Google Scholar

Iwasaki Y and Simon HA, 1986. “Causality in device behaviour” Artificial Intelligence293–32.

Google Scholar

Iwasaki Y and Simon HA, 1986. “Theories of causal ordering: reply to de Kleer and Brown” Artificial Intelligence2963–72.

Google Scholar

Iwasaki Y, 1987. “Generating behaviour equations from explicit representations of mechanisms” Carnegie Mellon University, Computer Science Department Report CMU-CS-87–131.

Google Scholar

Iwasaki Y, 1988. “Causal ordering in a mixed structure”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-88, pp 313–318.

Google Scholar

Iwasaki Y, 1990. “Reasoning with Multiple Abstraction Models” Knowledge Systems Laboratory Report No. KSL 90–52, Stanford University, August.

Google Scholar

Iwasaki Y, 1990. “On the relationship between model abstraction and causality: Variance of causal ordering under abstraction operations” Knowledge Systems Laboratory Report No. KSL 90–59, Stanford University, September.

Google Scholar

Keravnou E and Washbrook J, 1989. “Deep and shallow models in medical expert systems” Artificial Intelligence in Medicine111–28.

Google Scholar

Keuneke A and Allemang D, 1989. “Exploring the no-function-in-structure principle” Journal of Experimental and Theoretical Artificial Intelligence179–89.

Google Scholar

Kirsch D, 1991. “Today the earwig, tomorrow man?” Artificial Intelligence47161–184.

Google Scholar

Klein D and Finin T, 1987. “What's in a deep model? In: Proceedings of the 10th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pp 559–562.

Google Scholar

Kuipers B, 1986. “Qualitative simulation” Artificial Intelligence29289–338.

Google Scholar

Kuipers B and Chiu C, 1987. “Taming intractable branching in qualitative simulation”. In: Proceedings of the 10th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence pp 1079–1085.

Google Scholar

Kuipers B, 1987. “Abstraction by time-scale in qualitative simulation”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-87 pp 621–625.

Google Scholar

Kuipers B, 1987b. “Qualitative simulation as causal explanation” IEEE Transactions on Systems Man and Cybernetics17432–444.

Google Scholar

Kuipers B and Berleant D, 1988. “Using incomplete quantitative knowledge in qualitative reasoning” Proceedings of AAAI-88.

Google Scholar

Lee W and Kuipers B, 1988. “Non-intersection of trajectories in qualitative phase space: A global constraint for qualitative simulation”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-88 pp. 286–296.

Google Scholar

Lenat DB and Feigenbaum EA, 1988. “On the thresholds of knowledge”. In: Proceedings Fourth Australian Conference on the Applications of Expert Systems, pp 31–56. (Revised version reprinted in Artificial Intelligence 47 (1991) 185–250.)

Google Scholar

Levesque H and Brachman R, 1984. “A fundamental tradeoff in knowledge representation and reasoning”. In: Proceedings of CSSl-84, London, Ontario, pp 141–152. (Reprinted in Readings in Knowledge Representation, R Brachman and H Levesque (eds.), Morgan Kaufmann 1985) 41–70.

Google Scholar

Liu Z and Farley A, 1990. “Shifting ontological perspectives in reasoning about physical systems”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-90, pp 395–400.

Google Scholar

Long W, 1983. “Reasoning about state from causation and time in a medical domain”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-83, pp 251–254.

Google Scholar

Morris M, 1991. “Why there are no mental representations” Minds and Machines11–30.

Google Scholar

McDermott D, 1987. “Logic, problem solving, and deduction” Annual Review of Computer Science2187–229.

Google Scholar

Pan J, 1984. “Qualitative reasoning with deep-level mechanism models for diagnoses of mechanism failures”. In: Proceedings ofCAIA-84, pp 295–301.

Google Scholar

Patil RS, 1981. “Causal representation of patient illness for electrolyte and acid-base diagnosis” Ph.D. Thesis, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Google Scholar

Rosch E, 1978. “Principles of classification”. In: Rosch E and Lloyd B (eds.), Cognition and Categorization, Erlbaum, 27–48. (Reprinted in Readings in Cognitive Science, Morgan Kaufmann, 1988), pp 312–322.

Google Scholar

Söderman U and Strömberg J, 1991. “Combining qualitative and quantitative knowledge to generate models of physical systems”. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pp 1158–1163.

Google Scholar

Sticklen J, 1991. “Functional reasoning and functional modelling” IEEE Expert620–21.

Google Scholar

Struss P, 1988. “Global filters for qualitative behaviours”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-88, pp 275–279.

Google Scholar

Top J and Akkermans H, 1990. Bond-Graph Based Reasoning about Physical Systems, Working Papers of the 1990 Workshop on Model Based Reasoning, Boston.

Google Scholar

Top J and Akkermans H, 1991. “Computational and physical causality”. In: Proceedings of the 12th International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence, pp 1171–1176.

Google Scholar

Weiss S, Kulikowski C, 1978. “A model-based method for computer-aided medical decision making” Artificial Intelligence11145–172.

Google Scholar

Weld D, 1986. “The use of aggregation in causal simulation” Artificial Intelligence301–34.

Google Scholar

Weld D, 1988. “Comparative analysis” Artificial Intelligence36333–373.

Google Scholar

Weld D, 1988. “Exaggeration”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-88, pp 291–295.

Google Scholar

Weld D and de Kleer J, 1990. Readings in Qualitative Reasoning About Physical SystemsMorgan Kaufmann.

Google Scholar

Weld D, 1990. “Approximation reformulations”. In: Proceedings of AAAI-90, pp 407–412.