EXAPL (Expert System Based on APL) and its application to chemical analysis

ABSTRACT

EXAPL (EXpert system based on APL) is described and its application to chemical analysis is presented. The system supports two types of production rule, the if-then-structure and the case-structure. The main advantage of EXAPL resides in its compactness and easiness to use. EXAPL uses no specific inference engine, because it directly uses the APL facility via functions corresponding to the EXAPL keywords, “IF”, “AND”, “THEN”, “CASE”, etc. Consequently, the system nucleus is quite small in contrast with that of LISP or PROLOG. EXAPL is shown to be potent and practical in application to a chemical analytical data system, ARTHUR, and our plans to develop further a simple APL-based version, EASYARTHUR, for use by novices, are outlined.

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.3 PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
      D.3.2 Language Classifications

          Nouns: APL

Additional Classification:
  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
      I.2.5 Programming Languages and Software
          Subjects: Expert system tools and techniques

  J. Computer Applications
  J.2 PHYSICAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING
      Subjects: Chemistry

General Terms:
Algorithms, Design, Languages