Term (FOL)
From Maths
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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]:
- Each constant symbol is a term
- Each variable symbol is a term
- 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