Prolog provides support for arithmetic operations and constraints through its built-in arithmetic operators and constraint-solving predicates. Here's how Prolog handles arithmetic operations and constraints:
Arithmetic Operations :1. Arithmetic Operators : Prolog supports standard arithmetic operators for
addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), division (/), and exponentiation (**). These operators work on numeric constants, variables, and expressions.
* Examples: `
2 + 3`, `X * Y`, `4 - Z
`
2. Arithmetic Evaluation : Prolog evaluates arithmetic expressions using the `
is/2
` predicate. It allows you to compute the value of an arithmetic expression and bind it to a variable. The `
is/2
` predicate is used as follows:
* Example: `
X is 2 + 3 * Y
`
Constraints :1. Constraint-Solving : Prolog offers constraint-solving capabilities to express and solve constraint satisfaction problems. Constraints define relationships among variables, and Prolog's constraint-solving predicates attempt to find solutions that satisfy these constraints.
* Examples of constraints:
`X > 5`, `Y + Z = 10`, `A mod 2 = 0`
(even number constraint)
2. Constraint-Solving Predicates : Prolog provides built-in predicates for constraint-solving, such as:
* `=/2` (unification)
: Checks if two terms unify.
* `==/2` (term equality)
: Checks if two terms are exactly equal.
* `\=/2` (term inequality)
: Checks if two terms are not equal.
* `<>/2` (arithmetic inequality)
: Checks if two arithmetic expressions are not equal.
* `</2`, `>/2`, `<=/2`, `>=/2` (arithmetic comparisons)
: Compare arithmetic expressions.
3. Constraint Logic Programming Libraries : Prolog also supports constraint logic programming (CLP) libraries, such as CLP(FD) for finite domain constraints and CLP(R) for real number constraints. These libraries provide additional constraint-solving capabilities for specific domains.