RECOGNIZING NON-FLOUNDERING LOGIC PROGRAMS AND GOALS

Abstract

The introduction of negation in Logic Programming using the Negation as Failure Rule causes some problems regarding the completeness of the SLDNF-Resolution proof procedure. One of the causes of incompleteness arises when evaluating a non-ground negative literal. This is solved by forbidding these evaluations. Obviously, there is the possibility of having only non-ground negative literals in the goal (the floundering of the goal). There is a class of programs and goals (allowed) that has been proved to have the non-floundering property. In this paper an algorithm is proposed which recognizes a wider class of programs with this property and which is based on abstract interpretation techniques.