Prolog facts for kids
Prolog is a special kind of programming language that helps computers think using logic. It's the most popular language in a group called "logic programming." This means you tell the computer facts and rules, and it uses them to figure out new things.
A French computer scientist named Alain Cormerauer created Prolog in the early 1970s. It works very differently from many other programming languages you might know.
How Prolog Works
Prolog is unique because you don't tell the computer exactly how to do something. Instead, you tell it what is true. You give it:
- Facts: These are things that are definitely true. For example, you might tell Prolog, "Socrates is a human."
- Rules: These are statements that say if something is true, then something else must also be true. For example, "If X is a human, then X is mortal."
Once you give Prolog these facts and rules, you can ask it questions. Prolog will then use its logic to try and find answers based on what it knows. It's like having a super smart detective that can connect the dots!
Facts and Rules in Action
Let's look at a simple example:
- Fact: `cat(whiskers).` (This means "Whiskers is a cat.")
- Fact: `likes(john, fish).` (This means "John likes fish.")
- Rule: `eats(X, Y) :- cat(X), likes(X, Y).` (This means "X eats Y if X is a cat AND X likes Y.")
Now, you can ask Prolog a question, like:
- `eats(whiskers, What).` (This means "What does Whiskers eat?")
Prolog would then look at its rules. It knows "Whiskers is a cat" (from a fact). It also knows "Whiskers likes fish" (if we had that fact, or if we had a rule that cats like fish). Using the rule, it would figure out that "Whiskers eats fish."
This way of working makes Prolog very good for tasks like:
- Solving puzzles
- Creating artificial intelligence systems
- Building expert systems that can make decisions
What Prolog Can Do
Prolog is a very powerful programming language. It is considered "Turing-complete," which means it can do anything that any other computer program can do. It's not just for simple facts and rules; it can handle complex problems and help computers reason through information.
See also
- In Spanish: Prolog para niños
