Ma, Jixin and Knight, Brian (1996) A reified temporal logic. The Computer Journal, 39 (9). pp. 800-807. ISSN 0010-4620 (doi:10.1093/comjnl/39.9.800)

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Abstract

This paper presents a reified temporal logic for representing and reasoning about temporal and non-temporal relationships between non-temporal assertions. A clear syntax and semantics for the logic is formally provided. Three types of predicates, temporal predicates, non-temporal predicates and meta-predicates, are introduced. Terms of the proposed language are partitioned into three types, temporal terms, non-temporal terms and propositional terms. Reified propositions consist of formulae with each predicate being either a temporal predicate or a meta-predicate. Meta-predicates may take both temporal terms and propositional terms together as arguments or take propositional terms alone. A standard formula of the classical first-order language with each predicate being a non-temporal predicate taking only non-temporal terms as arguments is reified as just a propositional term. A general time ontology has been provided which can be specialized to a variety of existing temporal systems. The new logic allows one to predicate and quantify over propositional terms while according a special status of time; for example, assertions such as ‘effects cannot precede their causes’ is ensured in the logic, and some problematic temporal aspects including the delay time between events and their effects can be conveniently expressed. Applications of the logic are presented including the characterization of the negation of properties and their contextual sentences, and the expression of temporal relations between actions and effects.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	[1] The Computer Journal is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. [2] CMS Ref. No: 96/43.
Uncontrolled Keywords:	logical formalism, reification, temporal logic, reified temporal logic (RTL)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BC Logic Q Science > QA Mathematics
Pre-2014 Departments:	School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences > Computer & Computational Science Research Group School of Computing & Mathematical Sciences > Department of Computer Science
Related URLs:	Publisher Publisher Organisation
Last Modified:	14 Oct 2016 08:59
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/92

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