A Representation for Complex Physical Domains

Abstract

We are exploring a system, called PROMPT, that will be capable of r ea soning from first principles and high level knowledge in complex, physical domains. Such problem-solving calls for a representation th at will support the different analyses techniques required (e.g. differential , asymptotic, perturbation etc .). Efficiency considerations require that the representation also support heuristic control of reasoning techniques. This paper lays the ground work for our effort by briefly describing the ontology and the representation scheme of PROMPT . Our ontology allows reasoning about multiple pasts and different happenings in the same space-time. The ontology provides i mportant distinctions between materials, objects, bulk and distributed abstractions among physical entities. We organise world knowledge into "prototypes" that are used to focus the reasoning process. Problem-solving involves reasoning with and modifying prototypes.