Comparative analysis
type: Item
instance of: scholarly article
title: Comparative analysis
zbMATH Open document ID: 0654.93004
DOI: 10.1016/0004-3702(88)90086-0
author: Daniel S. Weld
published in: Artificial Intelligence
publication date: 1988-01-01T00:00:00Z
review text: The important problem of predicting how a system reacts to perturbations in its parameters is discussed. The system means here a set of, in some sense, regular time functions (parameters) which are related through so called qualitative differential equations, i.e., ordinary differential equations obtained using differentiation, addition, multiplication and superposition of some monotonic functions on parameters as defined above. A novel technique is proposed, called differential qualitative analysis (DQ), within a framework of comparative analysis of dynamic systems which is based on many notions due to the qualitative simulation methodology. The original formal apparatus is developed which results in a basic set of propositions providing through formal reasoning (i.e. by application of general inference rules) a qualitative characterization of the system under study together with an explanation of its dynamic behavior. The notions essential to the reported theory such as that of parameter, landmark value, system, qualitative state, behavior, behavioral topology etc... are derived in common sense rather than in a rigorous mathematical style. But the least obvious propositions are formally proved. Two models not very far from reality are studied in a way to show the advantages of the DQ analysis and the limitations of the new technique. In particular perturbations changing the behavioral topology of the system are addressed in detail and some heuristics are proposed to overcome the difficulties. A computer program based on LISP for generating behaviors, performing a perturbation analysis of the chosen behavior and translating its results into assertions of the inference system, is described briefly. DQ is claimed to be incomplete in a sense explained in the paper. The suggestive and a bit esoteric formalism introduced in the paper contrasts with the simplicity of the models and situations considered.
reviewed by: Andrzej Kasiński
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 93A10
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 68U20
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 93B35
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 37-XX
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 54H20
Mathematics Subject Classification ID: 68T20
zbMATH DE Number: 4068691
zbMATH Keywords: differential qualitative analysis
zbMATH Keywords: comparative analysis of dynamic systems
zbMATH Keywords: behavioral topology
MaRDI profile type: Publication
full work available at URL: 0004-3702(88)90086-0
OpenAlex ID: W3020853340
cites work: Q4132373
cites work: The Spatial Semantic Hierarchy
cites work: Qualitative simulation
cites work: Q5787677
cites work: Q4730814
cites work: Exaggeration
description: scientific article; zbMATH DE number 4068691