Forward and Backward Chaining

Rule-Based Systems
• Instead of representing knowledge in a relatively
declarative, static way (as a bunch of things that are
true), rule-based system represent knowledge in
terms of a bunch of rules that tell you what you
should do or what you could conclude in different
situations.
• A rule-based system consists of a bunch of IF-THEN
rules, a bunch of facts, and some interpreter
controlling the application of the rules, given the
facts.
 Two broad kinds of rule system
Forward chaining systems and
Backward chaining systems.
Forward chaining
is a data driven method of deriving a particular goal
from a given knowledge base and set of inference
rules.
Inference rules are applied by matching facts to the
antecedents of consequence relations in the
knowledge base
 Cont’d…
• In a forward chaining system you start
with the initial facts, and keep using the
rules to draw new conclusions (or take
certain actions) given those facts.
• Forward chaining systems are primarily
data-driven
• Inference rules are successively applied to
elements of the knowledge base until the
goal is reached
 Cont’d…
• A search control method is needed to
select which element(s) of the knowledge
base to apply the inference rule to at any
point in the deduction.
• facts in the system are represented in a
working memory which is continually
updated.
 Cont’d…

• Rules in the system represent possible actions to

take when specified conditions hold on items in
the working memory
• they are sometimes called condition-action rules
• The conditions are usually patterns that must
match items in the working memory.
 Forward Chaining Systems
• actions usually involve adding or deleting items from
the working memory.
• interpreter controls the application of the rules, given
the working memory, thus controlling the system's
activity.
• It is based on a cycle of activity sometimes known as a
recognize-act cycle
• The system first checks to find all the rules whose
conditions hold
• selects one and performs the actions in the action
part of the rule
• selection of a rule to fire is based on fixed strategies,
known as conflict resolution strategies
 Forward Chaining Systems
• The actions will result in a new working
memory, and the cycle begins again.
• This cycle will be repeated until either no rules
fire, or some specified goal state is satisfied.
• Rule-based systems vary greatly in their
details and syntax, so the following examples
are only illustrative
 Forward Chaining Example
• Knowledge Base:
– If [X croaks and eats flies] Then [X is a frog]
– If [X chirps and sings] Then [X is a canary]
– If [X is a frog] Then [X is colored green]
– If [X is a canary] Then [X is colored yellow]
– [Fritz croaks and eats flies]
• Goal:
– [Fritz is colored Y]?
Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog]

If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]

If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog]

If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]

If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
[Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog]

If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a canary]
If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]

If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is a frog]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
[Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog]

If [X chirps and sings]

If [X croaks and eats flies] Then [X is a canary]
Then [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]

If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]
[Fritz is a frog]
[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is a frog]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
[Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog]

If [X croaks and eats flies] If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a frog] Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]

If [X is a canary]
[Fritz is a frog] Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is a frog]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?
?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
If [X croaks and eats [Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
flies] Then [X is a frog]

Then [X is a frog] If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]
[Fritz is a frog]
If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is a frog]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
If [X croaks and eats [Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
flies] Then [X is a frog]

Then [X is a frog] If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]
[Fritz is a frog] Then [X is colored green]
If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is a frog]
[Fritz is colored green]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
Knowledge Base
If [X croaks and eats [Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
flies] Then [X is a frog]

Then [X is a frog] If [X chirps and sings]

Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]
[Fritz is a frog] Then [X is colored green]
If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is colored green] [Fritz is a frog]

[Fritz is colored green]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
If [X croaks and eats Knowledge Base
[Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
flies] Then [X is a frog]
Then [X is a frog] If [X chirps and sings]
Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]
[Fritz is a frog] Then [X is colored green]
If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is colored green] [Fritz is a frog]

[Fritz is colored green]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?
?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
If [X croaks and eats Knowledge Base
flies] [Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
Then [X is a frog]
Then [X is a frog]
If [X chirps and sings]
Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
[Fritz is a frog] Then [X is colored green]
Then [X is colored green]
If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is colored green] [Fritz is a frog]

[Fritz is colored green]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Forward Chaining Example
If [X croaks and eats Knowledge Base
[Fritz croaks and eats flies] If [X croaks and eats flies]
flies] Then [X is a frog]
Then [X is a frog] If [X chirps and sings]
Then [X is a canary]

If [X is a frog] If [X is a frog]
Then [X is colored green]
[Fritz is a frog] Then [X is colored green]
If [X is a canary]
Then [X is colored yellow]

[Fritz croaks and eats flies]

[Fritz is colored [Fritz is colored Y] ? [Fritz is a frog]

green]
[Fritz is colored green]

Goal
[Fritz is colored Y]?
Y = green

CPSC 433 Artificial Intelligence

 Backward chaining
• Backward chaining is a goal driven method of
deriving a particular goal from a given
knowledge base and set of inference rules
• Inference rules are applied by matching the
goal of the search to the consequents of the
relations stored in the knowledge base
 Cont’d...
• When such a relation is found, the antecedent
of the relation is added to the list of goals (and
not into the knowledge base, as is done in
forward chaining)
• Search proceeds in this manner until a goal
can be matched against a fact in the
knowledge base
 Cont’d…
• As with forward chaining, a search control
method is needed to select which goals will be
matched against which consequence relations
from the knowledge base
• backward chaining systems are goal-driven
 Backward Chaining Systems
• In a backward chaining system you start with
some hypothesis (or goal) you are trying to
prove, and keep looking for rules that would
allow you to conclude that hypothesis,
perhaps setting new sub goals to prove as you
go
 Cont’d
• So far we have looked at how rule-based systems can be
used to draw new conclusions from existing data, adding
these conclusions to a working memory
• This approach is most useful when you know all the
initial facts, but don't have much idea what the
conclusion might be
• If you DO know what the conclusion might be, or have
some specific hypothesis to test, forward chaining
systems may be inefficient
 backward chaining system
• Note that a backward chaining system does
NOT need to update a working memory
• Instead it needs to keep track of what goals it
needs to prove its main hypothesis.
• Lets take an example
• ……………..
 Forward chaining vs. backward
chaining
• Data-driven, forward chaining
– Starts with the initial given data and search for the goal.
– At each iteration, new conclusion (RHS) becomes the pattern to look for
next
– Working memory contains true sentences (RHS’s).
– Stop when the goal is reached.
• Goal-driven is the reverse.
– Starts with the goal and try to search for the initial given data.
– At each iteration, new premise (LHS) becomes the new sub goals, the
pattern to look for next
– working memory contains sub goals (LHS’s) to be satisfied.
– Stop when all the premises (sub goals) of fired productions are reached.
• Sense of the arrow is in reality reversed.
• Both repeatedly pick the next rule to fire.
 Cont’d…..
condition action
premise conclusion
Forward Backward
chaining chaining
Starts with premise conclusion
Search for conclusion premise
Working true sub goals
memory statements to be
proved

Stopping goal is Initial data

criteria reached are
reached

Data-drive Goal-drive
n n
 Combining forward- and
backward-chaining
• Begin with data and search forward until
the number of states becomes
unmanageably large.
• Switch to goal-directed search to use sub
goals to guide state selection.
 Strategies
• These strategies may help in getting reasonable
behavior from a forward chaining system,
• but the most important thing is how we write the
rules.
• They should be carefully constructed, with the
preconditions specifying as precisely as possible
when different rules should fire.
• Otherwise we will have little idea or control of what
will happen
 Conclusion
• Goal-driven, backward chaining
• Data-driven, forward chaining
⬥ conditions first, then actions
⬥ working memory contains true statements
describing the current environment
⬥ actions first, then conditions (sub goals)
⬥ working memory contains sub goals to be
shown as true
 Forwards vs. Backwards Reasoning

• Whether you use forward or backwards reasoning to

solve a problem depends on the properties of your
rule set and initial facts.
• Sometimes, if you have some particular goal (to test
some hypothesis), then backward chaining will be
much more efficient, as you avoid drawing
conclusions from irrelevant facts.
• However, sometimes backward chaining can be
very wasteful - there may be many possible ways
of trying to prove something, and you may have
to try almost all of them before you find one that
works.
• Forward chaining may be better if you have lots
of things you want to prove
• when you have a small set of initial facts; and
when there tend to be lots of different rules
which allow you to draw the same conclusion
• Backward chaining may be better if you are trying
to prove a single fact, given a large set of initial
facts, and where, if you used forward chaining,
lots of rules would be eligible to fire in any cycle.