Homework 1 - Chapters 1 and 2

Due: Monday January 14, 2008 at 5pm

Answer the following questions. Each question is worth 2 points.

  1. 1.4: What are weak methods? Identify the main difficulties that led to the disillusion with AI in the early 1970s.
  2. 1.5: Define expert systems. What is the main difference between weak methods and the expert system technology?
  3. 1.7: What are the limitations of expert systems?
  4. 1.8: What are the differences between expert systems and artificial neural networks?
  5. 1.12: What are the benefits of integrating expert systems, fuzzy logic and neural computing?
  6. 2.1: What is knowledge? Explain why experts usually have detailed knowledge of a limited area of a specific domain. What do we mean by heuristic?
  7. 2.2: What is a production rule? Give an example and define two basic parts of the production rule.
  8. 2.4: What is an expert system shell? Explain why the use of an expert system shell can dramatically reduce the development time of an expert system.
  9. 2.8: Describe the forward chaining inference process. Give an example.
  10. 2.9: Describe the backward chaining inference process. Give an example.
As a reminder from the syllabus, email the assignment to my Helios account by the due date or turn in a hard-copy at my office hours. If emailing, use only plain text or PDF format for your document.