LAP: Simple Command-line Tools for Teaching Logic, Algorithms, and Proof in Computer Science

Abstract

The LAP toolset is a set of command line tools for teaching logic in computer science. It provides implementations of standard algorithms for propositional and first order logic, including conversions to various normal forms, propositional satisfiability algorithms such as DPLL, Tseytin's transformation, and equivalence checking. Significantly, LAP also supports a language for expressing a natural deduction derivation for propositional or first order logic. The tools can check the derivation, provide meaningful feedback if it is wrong, or display the derivation in a variety of formats. The toolset is written in Java and has no dependencies other than a Java Virtual Machine. The code has been designed to be easy to read and to illuminate the data definitions and algorithms.