{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "id": "evt-1973-pltp",
  "slug": "pltp-boyer-moore-induction",
  "title": {
    "en": "The Edinburgh Pure Lisp Theorem Prover brings automated induction to program reasoning",
    "zh-CN": "Edinburgh Pure Lisp Theorem Prover 将自动归纳推理用于程序性质证明"
  },
  "dates": {
    "event": "1973-08-20",
    "first_public_claim": "1973-08-20",
    "paper_release": "1973-08-20",
    "artifact_release": null,
    "independently_verified": null,
    "added_to_chronicle": "2026-09-15",
    "last_updated": "2026-09-15"
  },
  "event_types": [
    "proof",
    "system"
  ],
  "significance": {
    "tier": "H2",
    "rationale": {
      "en": "Boyer and Moore's PLTP established a durable automated-induction lineage for reasoning about recursive Lisp functions, preceding the later Boyer–Moore prover, NQTHM and ACL2.",
      "zh-CN": "Boyer 与 Moore 的 PLTP 建立了面向递归 Lisp 函数的自动归纳推理谱系，并成为后来的 Boyer–Moore prover、NQTHM 与 ACL2 的前史。"
    }
  },
  "mathematical_novelty": {
    "type": "tooling_only"
  },
  "interfaces": [
    "formal",
    "symbolic"
  ],
  "claim": {
    "en": "Boyer and Moore presented “Proving Theorems about LISP Functions” at IJCAI-73, documenting the Edinburgh Pure Lisp Theorem Prover developed in 1972–1973 and its automated use of induction, rewriting and symbolic evaluation.",
    "zh-CN": "Boyer 与 Moore 在 IJCAI-73 发表“Proving Theorems about LISP Functions”，公开记录 1972–1973 年开发的 Edinburgh Pure Lisp Theorem Prover 及其自动归纳、重写与符号求值方法。"
  },
  "summary": {
    "en": "PLTP targeted properties of recursively defined programs that resolution-based first-order provers handled poorly, using domain-specific proof procedures centered on simplification and induction.",
    "zh-CN": "PLTP 面向基于归结的一阶证明器难以处理的递归程序性质，采用以化简与归纳为核心的专门证明过程。"
  },
  "why_it_matters": {
    "en": "It established a long-running architecture for automated inductive theorem proving and program verification that evolved into influential later systems.",
    "zh-CN": "它建立了长期发展的自动归纳定理证明与程序验证架构，并演化为多个重要后续系统。"
  },
  "ai_role": {
    "level": "autonomous_primary",
    "description": {
      "en": "The prover automatically simplified formulas, selected induction schemes and searched for proofs of recursive-function properties.",
      "zh-CN": "证明器自动化简公式、选择归纳方案并搜索递归函数性质的证明。"
    }
  },
  "human_contribution": {
    "description": {
      "en": "Robert Boyer and J Strother Moore designed and implemented the logic, heuristics and proof procedures.",
      "zh-CN": "Robert Boyer 与 J Strother Moore 设计并实现逻辑、启发式与证明过程。"
    }
  },
  "systems": [
    "pltp"
  ],
  "organizations": [
    "university-of-edinburgh"
  ],
  "people": [
    "robert-s-boyer",
    "j-strother-moore"
  ],
  "problems": [
    "inductive-theorem-proving",
    "program-verification"
  ],
  "methods": [
    "mathematical-induction",
    "rewriting",
    "symbolic-evaluation"
  ],
  "verification": {
    "evidence_level": "E3",
    "status": "paper_released",
    "formal_assurance": "artifact_available",
    "history": [
      {
        "date": "1973-08-20",
        "status": "paper_released",
        "evidence_level": "E2",
        "note": {
          "en": "The IJCAI-73 paper documents PLTP and its theorem-proving methods.",
          "zh-CN": "IJCAI-73 论文记录了 PLTP 及其定理证明方法。"
        }
      },
      {
        "date": "2026-09-15",
        "status": "paper_released",
        "evidence_level": "E3",
        "note": {
          "en": "The UT Austin PLTP archive preserves original 1973 source listings and modern transcriptions/reconstructions.",
          "zh-CN": "UT Austin 的 PLTP 档案保存 1973 年原始源代码清单以及现代转录与重建版本。"
        }
      }
    ]
  },
  "sources": [
    {
      "id": "ut-pltp-archive",
      "tier": "S1",
      "type": "repository",
      "title": "The PLTP Archive",
      "url": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~moore/best-ideas/pltp/index.html",
      "primary": true,
      "published_date": null,
      "accessed_at": "2026-09-15"
    }
  ],
  "artifacts": [
    {
      "id": "pltp-1973-source-archive",
      "kind": "code",
      "title": "PLTP 1973 source listings and reconstructions",
      "url": "https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~moore/best-ideas/pltp/index.html"
    }
  ],
  "relationships": {
    "predecessors": [],
    "successors": [],
    "related": []
  },
  "timeline": {
    "featured": true,
    "significance": "primary"
  },
  "tags": [
    "boyer-moore",
    "pltp",
    "induction",
    "theorem-proving",
    "program-verification"
  ],
  "editorial": {
    "created_at": "2026-09-15",
    "last_reviewed": "2026-09-15",
    "reviewers": [
      "Charlie-Wang-03"
    ]
  },
  "corrections": []
}