Term (FOL)

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Definition

Given a first order language, [ilmath]\mathscr{L} [/ilmath] we define the terms inductively using the following 3 rules[1]:

  1. Each constant symbol is a term
  2. Each variable symbol is a term
  3. If [ilmath]f[/ilmath] is an [ilmath]n[/ilmath]-ary function symbol and [ilmath]t_1,\ldots,t_n[/ilmath] are terms, then [ilmath]ft_1\cdots t_n[/ilmath] is a term

The collection of all terms of the FOL is denoted: [ilmath]\mathscr{L}_T[/ilmath]

BNF Definition

We may describe the terms using a BNF grammar:

  • Term ::= c | x | ft1...tn

Caution:This isn't quite right, as we must know the arity of a function first. However there is something here

See next

References

  1. Mathematical Logic - Foundations for Information Science - Wei Li

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