Programming Pearl: An Open-Ended Tree for Logic Programming

Title: Programming Pearl: An Open-Ended Tree for Logic Programming

Abstract: This programming pearl introduces an open-ended tree, a data structure used in logic programming. It is an alternative to open-ended lists, which have a linear time complexity for updates and accesses. The open-ended tree offers a logarithmic time complexity for both updates and accesses, making it more efficient for applications with many application variables that change over time.

Main Research Question: How can we create an efficient data structure for representing application variables that change over time, without having to replace every occurrence of the variable in the data structure?

Methodology: The study proposes an open-ended tree as a solution to the problem. It is a data structure where each node represents a value of the application variable, and the tree is balanced to ensure logarithmic time complexity for updates and accesses.

Results: The results show that the open-ended tree can be used to efficiently represent application variables that change over time. The time complexity for updates and accesses is logarithmic in the number of updates to the value, making it a more efficient solution than open-ended lists.

Implications: The open-ended tree can be applied to various logic programming applications, such as Constraint Logic Programming Finite Domain solvers and fix-point processes. It allows for better performance in these applications, especially when dealing with a large number of application variables.

In conclusion, the open-ended tree is a valuable tool for logic programming applications that require efficient representation and updating of application variables that change over time. It offers a logarithmic time complexity for updates and accesses, making it a more efficient solution than open-ended lists.

Link to Article: https://arxiv.org/abs/0312027v1 Authors: arXiv ID: 0312027v1