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Proof analysis AND Automated deduction FOr REcursive STructures

Standard GACR GF22-06414L [Registered results] 2022 - 2025

Principal Investigator: David M. Cerna, Ph.D.

Mathematical induction is one of the essential concepts in the mathematician's toolbox. Though, its use makes formal proof analysis difficult. In essence, induction compresses an infinite argument into a finite statement. This process obfuscates information essential for computational proof transformation and automated reasoning. Herbrand’s theorem covers classical predicate logic where this information can be finitely represented and used to analyze proofs and to provide a formal foundation for automated theorem proving. While there are interpretations of Herbrand’s theorem extending its scope to formal number theory, these results are at the expense of analyticity, the most desirable property of Herbrand’s theorem. Given the rising importance of formal mathematics and inductive theorem proving to many areas of computer science, developing our understanding of the analyticity boundary is essential.