Search through Systematic Set Enumeration

In many problem domains, solutions take the form of unordered sets. We present the Set-Enumerations (SE)tree a vehicle for representing sets and/or enumerating them in a best-first fashion. We demonstrate its usefulness as the basis for a unifying search-based framework for domains where minimal (maximal) elements of a power set are targeted, where minimal (maximal) partial instantiations of a set of variables are sought, or where a composite decision is not dependent on the order in which its primitive component-decisions are taken. Particular instantiations of SE-tree-based algorithms for some AI problem domains are used to demonstrate the general features of the approach. These algorithms are compared theoretically and empirically with current algorithms. Comments University of Pennsylvania Department of Computer and Information Science Technical Report No. MSCIS-92-66. This technical report is available at ScholarlyCommons: http://repository.upenn.edu/cis_reports/297 Search Through Systematic Set Enumeration MS-CIS-92-66 LINC LAB 234