Learning First-Order Definitions of Functions

TL;DR

This paper presents a specialized first-order learning system tailored for defining functional relations, resulting in faster learning and improved predictive accuracy in some cases.

Contribution

It introduces a modification to a first-order learning system to focus on functional relations, enhancing efficiency and accuracy.

Findings

Faster learning times for functional relation definitions

Higher predictive accuracy in some cases

Potential benefits for other first-order learning systems

Abstract

First-order learning involves finding a clause-form definition of a relation from examples of the relation and relevant background information. In this paper, a particular first-order learning system is modified to customize it for finding definitions of functional relations. This restriction leads to faster learning times and, in some cases, to definitions that have higher predictive accuracy. Other first-order learning systems might benefit from similar specialization.