Denigma
hevok @hevok March 9, 2013
Concept #classes #logic #modeling

Class Inclusion and Equivalence

When one constructs a Knowledge Base one has to define Classes. One does this with help of [Class](/blog/619/) Inclusion and [Class](/blog/619/) [Equivalence](/blog/776/).

In a Class Inclusion one says that one Class is Subclass of another Class. Here it meas the the Professor class is a Subclass of Faculty Member. One can also describe this with an Equal Expression in First Order Logic, which states for all Variables X it holds that if X a Professor, then X is also a Faculty Member.

Alternatively one can have a Class Equivalence as the Professor might be equivalent to a Faculty Member which equals the first Order Logic that uses and universal Quantifier and equivalence, instead of Implication. This both methods are quite the same.

Professor ⊑ FacultyMember

every Professor is a Faculty Member

Professor ≡ FacultyMember

the Factuality Members are exactly the Professors

  • equals (x)(∀x)(Professor(x) FacultyMember