COS351-D/101/0/2007

School of Computing

Techniques of Artificial Intelligence

COS351-D

TUTORIAL LETTER 101/2007

 COS351-D/101/0/2007

Afrikaanse studente:

Die studiebrief vir COS351-D is slegs in Engels beskikbaar. Indien u enige probleme ondervind met die
Engelse terminologie of verduidelikings is u welkom om die dosente te skakel.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction ................................................................................................................... 3

2. Where to find General Information ................................................................................ 3

3. Lecturer Contact Information......................................................................................... 3

4. Syllabus ........................................................................................................................ 4

5. Assignments Due Dates................................................................................................ 5

6. Examination .................................................................................................................. 5

7. Study/Assignment Tips.................................................................................................. 5

8. Plagiarism ..................................................................................................................... 6

9. Assignment 1 ................................................................................................................ 7

10. Assignment 2 .......................................................................................................... 10

11. Assignment 3 .......................................................................................................... 12

12. Assignment 4 .......................................................................................................... 13

 COS351-D/101/0/2007

1. Introduction
The aim in this module is to introduce you to a selection of important concepts and techniques in
Artificial Intelligence (AI). This includes reactive machines, search algorithms, knowledge
representation and reasoning, and planning. This module draws on many skills you have acquired,
and theory you have mastered thus far in your studies, notably logic, data structures, and
programming. It also paves the way to our Honours level modules in Artificial Intelligence.

2. Where to find General Information

Refer to the 2007 calendars and the 2007 Services & Procedures manual for information on
administration, examination, book dealers and the processes of submitting your assignments.

3. Lecturer Contact Information

Tutorial letter COSALL-F/301/2006 contains important information regarding administrative matters. If
you have any questions about the content of the module, you can phone any member of the COS351
team. Their names will be announced in tutorial letter COSALL-F/301. You can also contact us by e-
mail.

There is an electronic newsgroup on MyUnisa at http://my.unisa.ac.za, where you can post messages
to fellow students, and respond to other students' messages. Consult tutorial letter COSALL-F/301 for
more information.

You can also write to us. Address your letter to:

The Lecturer: COS351-D

Department of Computer Science and Information Systems
University of South Africa
P.O. Box 392
Pretoria
0003.

For administrative enquiries, consult the brochure UNISA: Services and Procedures, or write to:

The Registrar (Academic)

University of South Africa
P.O. Box 392
Pretoria
0003.

The School of Computing can also be contacted at the following number:

Telephone: 012-4296122

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4. Syllabus
The study material for this module consists of the following:

Study Material Important Notes

Tutorial Letters This document forms the tutorial letter for this subject.

Prescribed Textbook Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach

Stuart Russel & Peter Norvig
nd
2 edition
2003
ISBN: 0-13-790395-2 (hardcover)
ISBN: 0-13-080302-2 (softcover)

The softcover book is the book officially prescribed, but the content of the
hardcover is exactly the same and may also be used.

Articles/Papers Additional articles/papers or references to websites may be provided on

MyUnisa.

Additional literature The Unisa library has hundreds of books on artificial intelligence. Below is
a small selection that you may find useful:

- Boden, M.A. Artificial Intelligence. Academic Press, 1996.

- Dean, T. Artificial Intelligence: Theory and practice.
Benjamin/Cummings, 1995.
- Ginsberg, M.L. Essentials of Artificial Intelligence. Morgan
Kaufmann, 1994.
- Pratt, I. Artificial Intelligence. MacMillan Press, 1994.
- Nilsson, N.J. Artificial Intelligence: A New Synthesis, Morgan
Kaufman, 1998.
- Shinghal, R. Formal Concepts in Artificial Intelligence:
Fundamentals. Chapman & Hall Computing, 1992.

You are welcome to search the library catalogue to find many more titles
on various aspects of, and approaches to AI. Please note that the library
usually has only one copy of a book, so these books won't always be
readily available. Only limited waiting lists will be kept for these titles.

The Internet has a huge set of resources on various topics of Artificial

Intelligence. The best approach would be use a search engine to find sites
on the specific AI topics.

Research Some assignment questions may require additional research. Research can
be in the form of sources such as articles, papers, books, and web sites or
even interviews with IT professionals.

It is important that the sources used contain recent and relevant

information. Because of the rapid advances in information technology, it is
important to look at the publishing date of the source to ensure that the
latest trends/technologies are being discussed.

Web sites World Wide Web addresses change frequently, therefore some of the URL’s
noted in the textbook and tutorial material may have changed by the time
you access them. You are encouraged to do some research on your own as
and when needed.

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Exam guidelines Study guidelines for the exam will be provided closer to the examination
date.

5. Assignments Due Dates

There are three compulsory assignments for this subject. Each assignment can contribute up to 50
credits towards examination entry (10 for Assignment 1). You need 100 credits to be allowed to write the
examination. If you submit your assignment on time, it is clearly your own work and it is clear that you
spent sufficient effort on the assignment you will get 50 credits. Late assignments, copying, and lesser
efforts will be given less credits and may even get no credit at all.

NB: You are encouraged to form study groups, but please note that you have to submit your own
attempt. Copying is serious offence and will be treated accordingly.

We don't award marks for the assignments that you submit. Assignments are not mini-exams, and we
don't treat them as such. Use this opportunity to get a better understanding of the material covered in
an assignment, by asking questions, and pointing out to us which parts of the assignment you found
difficult. A satisfactory assignment is one in which you put in a serious effort to answer all the
questions.

Except for Assignment 1, assignments may be submitted electronically, via MyUnisa

(http://my.unisa.ac.za). Assignments must reach us by the due dates. The due dates are as follows:

Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Assignment 3 Assignment 4

16 April 2007 14 May 2007 18 June 2007 15 July 2007

Assignment 1 is a multiple choice questionnaire. As part of your study material you will have received
computer marking sheet. You need to complete this using the questions in Assignment 1 and send it
back to Unisa. Assignment 1 is NOT AN OPTIONAL assignment. Should you not submit Assignment 1
you will not be allowed to write examination for this module.

UNIQUE NUMBERS

When you submit Assignment 1 you will be required to fill in a unique number. Make sure that you use
the following unique numbers that correspond to the subject code you are registered for. If you use the
incorrect unique number the assignment will NOT be marked.

COS351-D
240985

6. Examination
There is a three-hour written examination for this module. More information on the examination paper will
be provided closer to the examination date.

7. Study/Assignment Tips
• All books/articles/notes/manuals/web sites used to complete assignment questions should be
properly referenced and listed at the end of the question.

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• Always number your answers clearly and in accordance with the numbering used in the
assignment question sheet.

• Make sure that you understand the question and that you answer it in full. Be careful for questions
that might have more than one part that needs to be answered.

• Sometimes assignment questions look very difficult to answer at first. But, remember the main
goal of such questions is for you to do some research or to talk to people in the industry so that
you can gain insight into the subject under question. All of us have the potential to memorize a
piece of literature, but one only gains true value out of it if one understands it.

• Please number your Assignments correctly using the number as indicated in the tutorial letter.
Assignments numbered incorrectly will be returned to you unmarked.

8. Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the act of taking words, ideas and thoughts of others and passing them off as your own.
It is a form of theft which involves a number of dishonest academic activities.

The Disciplinary Code for Students (2004) is given to all students at registration. Students are advised to
study the Code, especially Sections 2.1.13 and 2.1.4 (2004:3-4). Kindly read the University’s Policy on
Copyright Infringement and Plagiarism as well.

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9. Assignment 1
Content: Chapter 1 of the prescribed book as well as multiple sources on the Internet.

Due date: 16 April 2007

Credits: 10

The following questions are Multiple Choice Questions. You have to use the computer marking sheet
supplied in your study material to answer these questions. Make sure that Unisa gets the physical
marking sheet by the due date. This is NOT AN OPTIONAL assignment. If you do not submit this
assignment you will not get examination entry.

Some of the questions asked here may not have answers in the textbook. The questions were
sourced from the Internet so you will be able to find all the answers there. You are also encouraged to
read other sources. The textbook is not the be-all and end-all on the topic of Artificial Intelligence.

Pick the answer that BEST answers the question. Note that not all questions have five choices. Some
may have fewer and some are TRUE or FALSE choices. Make sure that you mark the correct
NUMBER on the computer marking sheet.

Use the following unique number on your computer marking sheet to identify it as Assignment 1 for
COS351-D for 2007. Without the unique number the assignment cannot be marked.
COS351-D 2007
Assignment 1
Unique number
240985

1. The Loebner Prize is …

1) to go to the first person to build a successful android.
2) is sponsored by Max Loebner.
3) is the first formal instantiation of a Turing test.
4) is worth $10,000.
5) is a bi-yearly contest for robots.

2. The 2005 Loebner Prize was won by …

1) Vladimir Vesolov
2) Rollo Carpenter
3) Steven Watking
4) Richard Wallace
5) Allan Turing

3. The Turing Test …

1) was devised by Allan Turing in 1990.
2) was designed to provide a satisfactory operational definition of intelligence.
3) consists of a battery of question designed to test intelligence.
4) was devised to teach robots to speak.
5) is none of the above.

4. Artificial Intelligence tries to …

1) produce intelligent systems.
2) understand the foundations of intelligence in humans and animals.
3) build intelligent robots.
4) none of the above.
5) (1) and (2)

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5. TRUE or FALSE: The Turing Test provides a formal definition of Artificial Intelligence.
1) TRUE
2) FALSE

6. TRUE or FALSE: We have already developed everything we need to successfully implement

Artificial Intelligence. The only problem is that we do not have computers that are fast enough.
1) TRUE
2) FALSE

7. The General Problem Solver was developed by …

1) Newell
2) Simon
3) Newell and Simon
4) Turing
5) Russel

8. An Expert System is …
1) a system used by experts to make predictions, such as tomorrow’s weather.
2) a group of intelligent programs.
3) a database of knowledge.
4) a computer program containing subject-specific knowledge of human experts.
5) a set of rules on how to solve specific problems.

9. A problem is intractable if …
1) there is no solution to the problem.
2) only a partial solution can be logically deduced.
3) the problem cannot be solved by humans but there exists an AI program that will be
able to solve it.
4) it is not NP-complete.
5) the time required to solve the problem grows exponentially with the size of problem
instances.

10. TRUE of FALSE: A reflex action is an example of rational behaviour.

1) TRUE
2) FALSE

11. Arimaa is the name of …

1) a game that computers find difficult to play.
2) a well-known researcher in AI.
3) a chess-playing computer.
4) a chess champion who beat Deep Blue.
5) None of the above.

12. Deep Blue defeated Kasparov in …

1) 1991
2) 1976
3) 2001
4) 1977
5) 2005

13. Alvinn is …
1) the name of the first robotic vehicle.
2) a neural network.
3) a perception system that controls a vehicle.
4) (1), (2), and (3).
5) (2) & (3)

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14. The DARPA Grand Challenge …

1) had a $2 million prize.
2) was won by the Red Team.
3) took place in Primm, Nevada.
4) All of the above.
5) (1) & (2).

15. TRUE or FALSE. Steve Mann considers himself to be a Cyborg.

1) TRUE
2) FALSE

16. John Searle is famous for …

1) being the first person to receive a brain transplant.
2) writing the first English-to-Chinese translation program.
3) building a room with a Chinese translator hidden inside.
4) the Chinese-room thought-experiment.
5) None of the above.

17. Compatibilism is …
1) a theory that suggests that free will and determinism are compatible.
2) the theory that explains why certain people are attracted to each other.
3) a theory proposed by John Searle.
4) None of the above.
5) All of the above.

18. Gödel is known for …

1) being a philosopher.
2) his incompleteness theorem.
3) building the first Turing machine.
4) solving the four-colour problem.

19. The mind-body problem …

1) explains how the mind controls the body.
2) is about whether a mind can exist without a body.
3) says that a mind cannot exist without a soul.
4) relates mental states and processes to brain states and processes.
5) proves that free will does not exist.

20. The closed-world assumption …

1) assumes that all the information provided for reasoning with, is complete.
2) states that here is no life outside earth.
3) assumes that artificial minds cannot be made.
4) means that all statements are true.
5) is an alternative to the idea of a stable model.

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10. Assignment 2
Content: Chapters 2, 3 and 4 of the prescribed book

Due date: 14 May 2007

Credits: 50

Exercises refer to questions from the prescribed book on the page(s), as indicated.

21. Exercise 2.4 on page 57.

22. Exercise 2.6 on page 57.

23. Exercise 3.8 on page 90.

24. Exercise 3.9 on page 90.

25. Exercise 3.13 in page 91.

26. Exercise 3.14 on page 91.

27. Exercise 4.1 on page 134.

28. Exercise 4.2 on page 134.

29. The well-known Sudoko puzzle consists of a 9x9 grid that is divided into nine 3x3 blocks. Each
row, column and 3x3 block must contain all the digits 1, 2, …, 9. Consider a scaled-down
version of this puzzle that consists of a 4x4 grid, and where each cell may only contain one of
the digits 1, 2, 3 or 4.

1
3
1 4
1 3
The following is a row. Each row must contain all four digits and no two cells in each row may
contain the same digit. In other words, each digit may appear only once in each row.

1 4

The following is a column. Each column must contain all four digits and no two cells in each
column row may contain the same digit. In other words, each digit may appear only once in
each column.

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1
The following is a block. Each block must contain all four digits and no two cells in each block
row may contain the same digit. In other words, each digit may appear only once in each
block.

The solution to the example above is as follows:

3 1 4 2
4 2 3 1
1 3 2 4
2 4 1 3
Consider a 2x2 Sudoku puzzle with the following initial values:

2 1
4
4
1

a) Define the problem of solving this 2x2 Sudoku puzzle by developing a valid state
description, initial state, variables, successor function and the goal test (p.62 of the
prescribed book). Assume that the step cost from one state to the next equals 1.

b) Using your problem definition in (a) draw the complete state-space for this problem,
showing only legal states.

c) Show the order of state visits using breadth-first and depth-first search techniques.

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11. Assignment 3
Content: Chapters 5, 6 and 7 of the prescribed book

Due date: 18 June 2007

Credits: 50

Exercises refer to questions from the prescribed book on the page(s), as indicated.

1. Exercise 5.2 on page 158. Explain how you reached the answer.

2. Exercise 5.4 on page 158.

3. The 4-queens problem is a smaller variation on the well-known 8-queens problem. The
problem is defined as follows. Place 4 queens on a 4x4 chessboard in such a way that no two
queens attack each other. This can reworded to say that all four queens must be safe.

Write this problem as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem (CSP). Justify your representation.

4. Exercise 6.3 a, b, c, on page 190.

5. Exercise 6.12 on page 192.

6. Exercise 7.8 on page 237.

7. Exercise 7.9 on page 238.

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12. Assignment 4
Content: Chapters 8, 9, 18 and 20 of the prescribed book

Due date: 15 July 2007

Credits: 50

Exercises refer to questions from the prescribed book on the page(s), as indicated.

1. Exercise 8.1 on page 268.

2. Exercise 8.6 on page 268.

3. Exercise 9.4 on page 316.

4. Exercise 9.18 on page 318.

5. Exercise 18.3 on page 676.

6. Exercise 20.11 on page 761.

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