We propose a new translation from normal logic programs with constraints under the answer set semantics to propositional logic. Given a normal logic program, we show that by adding, for each loop in the program, a corresponding loop formula to the program’s completion, we obtain a one-to-one correspondence between the answer sets of the program and the models of the resulting propositional theory. In the worst case, there may be an exponential number of loops in a logic program. To address this problem, we propose an approach that adds loop formulas a few at a time, selectively. Based on these results, we implement a system called ASSAT(X), depending on the SAT solver X used, for computing one answer set of a normal logic program with constraints. We test the system on a variety of benchmarks including the graph coloring, the blocks world planning, and Hamiltonian Circuit domains. Our experimental results show that in these domains, for the task of generating one answer set of a normal logic program, our system has a clear edge over the state-of-art answer set programming systems Smodels and DLV. 1 1

Clark’s completion is a simple nonmonotonic formalism and a special case of many nonmonotonic logics. Recently there has been work on extending completion with “loop formulas ” so that general cases of nonmonotonic logics such as logic programs (under the answer set semantics) and McCain–Turner causal logic can be characterized by propositional logic in the form of “completion + loop formulas”. In this paper, we show that the idea is applicable to McCarthy’s circumscription in the propositional case. We also show how to embed propositional circumscription in logic programs and in causal logic, inspired by the uniform characterization of “completion + loop formulas”.

Abstract. We show how we can rewrite any causal theory — under the semantics of causal logic due to McCain and Turner — as a logic program in the answer set semantics. Using this translation the models of any causal theory can be computed using answer set solvers. 1