---
title: "Computational and Physical Causality"
authors:
  - "Jan L. Top"
  - "Hans Akkermans"
doi: ""
url: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1991/172"
pdf: "https://ijcai.org/proceedings/1991/0172.pdf"
venue: "Proceedings of the Twelfth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence"
year: 1991
pages: "1171-1175"
track: "Qualitative Reasoning"
keywords:
---

# Computational and Physical Causality

Jan L. Top, Hans Akkermans

*Proceedings of the Twelfth International Joint Conference on Artificial Intelligence*, pages 1171-1175.

## Abstract

Causality plays an important role in qualitative reasoning about physical systems. In this paper we show that the bond-graph method can be fruitfully applied to represent and generate causal order on a formal basis. Both physical and computational aspects of bond-graph causality are discussed. In particular we show that it provides a firmer physical foundation for a causal order along the lines of Iwasaki and Simon. Bond-graph causality also generates more information than does the causal ordering theory, including better causal resolution, an improved definition of exogeneity in terms of parameters and sources, automatic checking of selfcontainment, and a more detailed, physical treatment of feedback.