---
title: "Experiments with a Natural Language Problem-Solving System"
authors:
  - "Jack P. Gelb"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1971/47"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1971/0047.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 1971
pages: "455-461"
track: ""
keywords:
---

# Experiments with a Natural Language Problem-Solving System

Jack P. Gelb

*Proceedings of the Second International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 455-461.

## Abstract

Development work on a computer program called HAPPINESS which solves basic probability problems phrased in English is presented . Emphasis is placed on (1) the application of heuristics to the examination of input language structure for the purpose of determining those phases richest in semantic content (2) the piecewise construction of combinatorial formulas for problem solution The language analysis is accomplished in several discrete stages, involving simple sentence transformation, keyword and semantic scanning, and syntactic analysis based on a simplified context-free grammar. The descriptor list result of this analysis is used as the basis for a four-stage solution procedure. A description of the implementation, and a discussion of its limitations, extensions, and applications, is also given.