Reasoning foundations

Evidence

Data that another procedure can use to check a result.

Definition

Evidence

Evidence records enough information for a stated checker to test a result.

The form depends on the result. A sat result can carry a model, an unsat result can carry a certificate, and a theorem can carry a proof term.

01

Example

The assignment a = true and b = false is evidence when evaluating it makes every clause true.

02

Important distinction

A log line saying 'success' reports an outcome but does not explain how to check it.

After reading this article, you should be able to

  • Define Evidence in the sense used on this site.
  • Match a model, certificate, or proof term to the result it can check.