Common equivalence and size of forgetting from Horn formulae

Abstract

Forgetting variables from a propositional formula may increase its size. Introducing new variables is a way to shorten it. Both operations can be expressed in terms of common equivalence, a weakened version of equivalence. In turn, common equivalence can be expressed in terms of forgetting. An algorithm for forgetting and checking common equivalence in polynomial space is given for the Horn case; it is polynomial-time for the subclass of single-head formulae. Minimizing after forgetting is polynomial-time if the formula is also acyclic and variables cannot be introduced, NP-hard when they can.