---
title: "Vocabularies for Problem Solver State Descriptions"
authors:
  - "Drew V. McDermott"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1977/51"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1977/0051.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Fifth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 1977
pages: "229-233"
track: "Representation of Knowledge"
keywords:
---

# Vocabularies for Problem Solver State Descriptions

Drew V. McDermott

*Proceedings of the Fifth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 229-233.

## Abstract

A model of knowledge representation is presented and applied to representing problem solvers' states. The focus is on the NASL problem solver, which has been used to study elementary circuit design. The model distinguishes between the form and the content ("vocabulary") of a representation. The vocabularies used by the modules of NASL are displayed. It is concluded that the model allows flexible implementation and clear description of problem solvers. In particular, it demonstrates the importance of shallow reasoning in the control of problem solvers