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Automated Theorem Proving in Quasigroup and Loop Theory

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ATP <strong>in</strong> <strong>Quasigroup</strong>s <strong>and</strong> <strong>Loop</strong>s<br />

Phillips, Stanovský<br />

F-law: x ·yz = xy·(x\x)z; (4) the right F-law: zy·x = z(x/x)·yx. <strong>Quasigroup</strong>s satisfy<strong>in</strong>g both F-laws are<br />

called F-quasigroups. Two other <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g identities are left <strong>and</strong> right distributivity:<br />

x · yz = xy · xz <strong>and</strong> zy · x = zx · yx,<br />

provid<strong>in</strong>g an equational description for “left <strong>and</strong> right translations are automorphisms”.<br />

A triple of bijections ( f ,g,h) from a quasigroup Q 1 to a quasigroup Q 2 is called an isotopism if<br />

f (x) · g(y) = h(x · y)<br />

for every x,y <strong>in</strong> Q 1 . Comb<strong>in</strong>atorially, isotopism describes shuffl<strong>in</strong>g the rows, the columns <strong>and</strong> renam<strong>in</strong>g<br />

the entries of the multiplication table. Indeed, f is an isomorphism iff ( f , f , f ) is an isotopism. We<br />

can thus talk about isomorphic or isotopic quasigroups. In group theory, isotopic groups are isomorphic.<br />

But <strong>in</strong> the theory of quasigroups, isotopism is more general than isomorphism; that is, isomorphic<br />

quasigroups are isotopic, but isotopic quasigroups need not be isomorphic.<br />

Isotopy is a particularly <strong>in</strong>terest<strong>in</strong>g concept when Q 2 is a loop. It is easy to see that every quasigroup<br />

is isotopic to a loop: take x◦y = x/a·b\y for the loop operation (then, ba is the unit). The classic Toyoda-<br />

Bruck theorem (1941), for <strong>in</strong>stance, asserts that every medial quasigroup is isotopic to an abelian group.<br />

Kepka (1979) proved that every trimedial quasigroup is isotopic to a commutative Moufang loops. And<br />

one of the papers <strong>in</strong> Section 4 asserts that F-quasigroups are isotopic to (general) Moufang loops.<br />

<strong>Quasigroup</strong>s can also be viewed as comb<strong>in</strong>atorial objects: the multiplication table of a f<strong>in</strong>ite quasigroup<br />

is a Lat<strong>in</strong> square; the converse is true as well (even <strong>in</strong> the <strong>in</strong>f<strong>in</strong>ite case). This perspective proves<br />

useful <strong>in</strong> many sett<strong>in</strong>gs, for <strong>in</strong>stance, Ste<strong>in</strong>er triple systems (classic comb<strong>in</strong>atorial objects) can be viewed<br />

as quasigroups satisfy<strong>in</strong>g the symmetric laws x · xy = y = yx · x.<br />

3 Techniques<br />

We briefly describe how algebraists usually use automated reason<strong>in</strong>g tools (both theorem provers <strong>and</strong><br />

f<strong>in</strong>ite model builders). In general, one can recognize, for example, the follow<strong>in</strong>g types of computation:<br />

• direct proofs of difficult open problems (very rarely successful),<br />

• prov<strong>in</strong>g tedious technical steps <strong>in</strong> classical proofs,<br />

• quick experimentation, check<strong>in</strong>g out (often false) conjectures,<br />

• exhaustive search.<br />

Most hard problems are not attacked directly. In most cases, the proof of the ma<strong>in</strong> result is assisted by<br />

theorem provers only <strong>in</strong> part. Very often a prover h<strong>and</strong>les only several technical steps (which can be still<br />

quite difficult) <strong>in</strong> a long classical proof. Sometimes, only a particular case of a theorem can be proven<br />

automatically, <strong>and</strong> a general result is sussed out from partial proofs. For concrete examples, see Section<br />

4, e.g. the description of [AKP06].<br />

Interest<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> important problems are almost never stated <strong>in</strong> a form that can be directly “fed” <strong>in</strong>to a<br />

first order theorem prover. One can, <strong>in</strong> general, recognize the follow<strong>in</strong>g phases:<br />

1. formalization <strong>in</strong> first order logic,<br />

2. f<strong>in</strong>d<strong>in</strong>g a proof,<br />

3. read<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> underst<strong>and</strong><strong>in</strong>g the proof.<br />

7

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