A Tableaux Calculus for Reducing Proof Size

摘要

A tableau calculus is proposed, based on a compressed representation of clauses, where literals sharing a similar shape may be merged. The inferences applied on these literals are fused when possible, which can reduce the size of the proof. It is shown that the obtained proof procedure is sound, refutationally complete and can reduce the size of the tableau by an exponential factor. The approach is compatible with all usual refinements of tableaux.