Decidable sqrt function in Z3 - z3

Since disabling unsound simplification of root objects, Z3 will now fail on this simple model involving a square root:
(define-fun sqrt ((x Real)) Real (^ x 0.5))
(declare-fun y () Real)
(declare-fun x () Real)
(assert (= y (sqrt x)))
(check-sat)
This returns sat with Z3 4.4.1, but unknown with master.
If I change the problem definition to use is_sqrt as defined by Nikolaj in this question, then Z3 master will return sat. The approach using is_sqrt shows that all real roots can be pushed into QF_NRA by introducing auxiliary variables, so I think Z3 should be able to solve all problems involving roots over the reals.
How can I define a square-root function in the reals that will result in a decidable theory, assuming the rest of the model is in QF_NRA?

There is a subtle difference between (assert (= y (^ x 0.5))) and (assert (and (= x (* y y)) (> y 0.0))). The difference comes from the requirement that all functions in Z3 (and SMT-LIB) are total. This means, for example, that y=1/x, x=0 is considered satisfiable. Given that ^ is total in Z3, (assert (and (= y (^ x 0.5)) (< x 0.0))) is considered satisfiable. We can't convert (= y (^ x 0.5)) to (and (= x (* y y)) (> y 0.0)), because if x < 0 then the former is considered satisfiable but the latter is unsatisfiable. Similarly, any sqrt function defined within SMT-LIB would also be total, so we cannot define a sqrt function by any other means such that (assert (= y (sqrt x))) is equivalent to (assert (and (= x (* y y)) (> y 0.0))). In addition to the above difference as to whether or not y = sqrt(x), x < 0 (pseudocode) is considered satisfiable, it is also the case that (assert (and (= x (* y y)) (> y 0.0))) is decidable (it is in QF_NRA), while (assert (= y (^ x 0.5))) is not.
The solution for my purpose is to not use a Z3 or SMT-LIB function definition for the square-root. Instead, I will use statements of the form (assert (and (= x (* y y)) (> y 0.0))) to indicate that y is the square-root of x. Such assertions are within QF_NRA, so models built in this way will be decidable. Furthermore, this has the advantage that y = sqrt(x), x < 0 (pseudocode) will return unsat if it is represented in SMT-LIB via the statements (assert (and (= x (* y y)) (> y 0.0))) and (assert (< x 0.0)). To return unsat for this example is more in-line with my use case.

Related

Z3 support for exponentials

I'm new to Z3 and I'm trying to understand how it works, and what it can and cannot do. I know that Z3 has at least some support for exponentials through the power (^) operator (see Z3py returns unknown for equation using pow() function, How to represent logarithmic formula in z3py, and Use Z3 and SMT-LIB to define sqrt function with a real number). What I'm unclear on is how extensive this support is, and what kind of inferences z3 can make about exponentials.
Here's a simple example involving exponentials which z3 can analyze. We define an exponential function, and then ask it to verify that exp(0) == 1:
(define-fun exp ((x Real)) Real
(^ 2.718281828459045 x))
(declare-fun x1 () Real)
(declare-fun y1 () Real)
(assert (= y1 (exp x1)))
(assert (not (=> (= x1 0.0) (= y1 1.0))))
(check-sat)
(exit)
Z3 returns unsat, as expected. On the other hand, here's a simple example which Z3 can't analyze:
(define-fun exp ((x Real)) Real
(^ 2.718281828459045 x))
(declare-fun x1 () Real)
(declare-fun y1 () Real)
(assert (= y1 (exp x1)))
(assert (not (< y1 0.0)))
(check-sat)
(exit)
This should be satisfiable, since literally any value for x1 would give y1 > 0. However, Z3 returns unknown. Naively I might have expected that Z3 would be able to analyze this, given that it could analyze the first example.
I realize this question is a bit broad, but: can anyone give me any insight into how Z3 handles exponentials, and (more specifically) why it can solve the first example I gave but not the second?
It is hard to say in general, since non-linear solving is challenging, but the case you presented is actually not so mysterious. You wrote:
(assert (= y (exp x)))
(assert (not (=> (= x 0) (= y 1))))
Z3 is going to simplify the second assertion, yielding:
(assert (= y (exp x)))
(assert (= x 0))
(assert (not (= y 1)))
Then it will propagate the first equality, yielding:
(assert (= y (exp 0)))
(assert (not (= y 1)))
Now when exp is expanded, you have a case of constant^constant, which Z3 can handle (for integer exponents, etc).
For the second case, you are asking it a very very basic question about variable exponents, and Z3 immediately barfs. That's not too odd, since so many questions about variable exponents are either known uncomputable or unknown but hard.

unknown when using a integer division in z3 smt2

I am trying to find a solution for the function penta(n) = (n * (3n -1)) / 2 and where penta (z) = penta (a) + penta(b) for all number positives. That works until the integer division (div) is part ofthe definition, but when it is added in the definition I either got a timeout or an unknown.
I would expect to get 8 , 7 , 4. Any idea on what I did wrongly?
(declare-const a Int)
(declare-const b Int)
(declare-const z Int)
(define-fun penta ((n Int)) Int (div (* (- (* 3 n ) 1) n) 2) )
(assert (= (penta z) (+ (penta a) (penta b)) ))
(assert (> a 1))
(assert (> b 1))
(assert (> z 1))
(check-sat)
(get-model)
I am using the version on the http://rise4fun.com/Z3 website and the version 4.1 (x64).
The main issue is that the problem uses integer multiplication between two non-numeric arguments. There are no decision procedures for general Diophantine problems so Z3 does a best effort, which does not favor model enumeration.
When you don't use integer division, Z3 will try a partial heuristic based on
converting the problem into finite domain bit-vectors to find models. It invokes
this heuristic by performing a syntactic check on the formulas. THe syntactic check fails when you use the operator (div .. 2).
You can encode (div x 2) so the heuristic picks up the problem
by introducing fresh variables and bounding them:
(declare-const penta_z Int)
(declare-const penta_a Int)
(declare-const penta_b Int)
(assert (or (= (* 2 penta_z) (penta z)) (= (+ 1 (* 2 penta_z)) (penta z))))
(assert (or (= (* 2 penta_a) (penta a)) (= (+ 1 (* 2 penta_a)) (penta a))))
(assert (or (= (* 2 penta_b) (penta b)) (= (+ 1 (* 2 penta_b)) (penta b))))
(assert (= penta_z (+ penta_a penta_b) ))
(assert (> a 1))
(assert (> b 1))
(assert (> z 1))
(assert (>= penta_z 0))
(assert (<= penta_z 100))
You can also directly encode your problem using bit-vectors although this starts getting error prone because you have to deal with how to handle overflows.

Does z3 support rational arithmetic for its input constraints?

In fact, does the SMT-LIB standard have a rational (not just real) sort? Going by its website, it does not.
If x is a rational and we have a constraint x^2 = 2, then we should get back ``unsatisfiable''. The closest I could get to encoding that constraint is the following:
;;(set-logic QF_NRA) ;; intentionally commented out
(declare-const x Real)
(assert (= (* x x) 2.0))
(check-sat)
(get-model)
for which z3 returns a solution, as there is a solution (irrational) in the reals. I do understand that z3 has its own rational library, which it uses, for instance, when solving QF_LRA constraints using an adaptation of the Simplex algorithm. On a related note, is there an SMT solver that supports rationals at the input level?
I'm sure it's possible to define a Rational sort using two integers as suggested by Nikolaj -- I would be interested to see that. It might be easier to just use the Real sort, and any time you want a rational, assert that it's equal to the ratio of two Ints. For example:
(set-option :pp.decimal true)
(declare-const x Real)
(declare-const p Int)
(declare-const q Int)
(assert (> q 0))
(assert (= x (/ p q)))
(assert (= x 0.5))
(check-sat)
(get-value (x p q))
This quickly comes back with
sat
((x 0.5)
(p 1)
(q 2))

How to introduce the infinity in the Tropical Arithmetic using Z3

The following code introduces the basic properties of the Tropical Arithmetic using Z3 with SMT-LIB:
; This example illustrates basic tropical arithmetic
(define-fun tropadd ((a Real)(b Real)) Real (if (> a b)
b
a))
(define-fun tropmul ((a Real)(b Real)) Real (+ a b))
(declare-fun x () Real)
(declare-fun y () Real)
(declare-fun z () Real)
(push)
(assert(not(= (tropadd x y) (tropadd y x))))
(check-sat)
(pop)
(push)
(assert(not(= (tropmul x y) (tropmul y x))))
(check-sat)
(pop)
(push)
(assert(not(= (tropmul x (tropmul y z)) (tropmul (tropmul x y) z))))
(check-sat)
(pop)
(push)
(assert(not(= (tropadd x (tropadd y z)) (tropadd (tropadd x y) z))))
(check-sat)
(pop)
(push)
(assert(not(= (tropmul x (tropadd y z)) (tropadd (tropmul x y) (tropmul x z)))))
(check-sat)
(pop)
(push)
(assert(not(= (tropmul x 0) x)))
(check-sat)
(pop)
(push)
(assert (= (tropmul x 2) 3))
(check-sat)
(get-model)
(pop)
(push)
(assert (= (tropadd x 2) 1))
(check-sat)
(get-model)
The output is:
unsat
unsat
unsat
unsat
unsat
unsat
sat
(model (define-fun x () Real 1.0)
sat
(model (define-fun x () Real 1.0) )
Please run this code online here
This code introduces the tropical addition and the tropical multiplication. Then is proved that these operations satisfy: commutative, associate, distributive; and modulative for the tropical multiplication.
With the aim to satisfy the modulative for the tropical addition is necessary to introduce
the infinity, it is to say a new symbol such: infinity + a = a for all a.
Please, can you teach me how to introduce such infinity in the tropical code. Many thanks.
You'd have to define a new type, some sort of a discriminating union to include the infinity; and extend your operations to cover this new type. The standard way to do this in SMT-Lib is to introduce an uninterpreted sort, and then assert the definitions of mul/add etc., as appropriate axioms over it. How well the underlying solver will handle such axioms really will depend on how well it handles quantifiers and what sort of problems you throw at it, since those axioms will no doubt involve quantifiers.
An alternative is to use a higher-level approach, such as advocated by Z3Py or SBV (Haskell bindings to Z3 and other SMT solvers), where you can hide most of the machinery in the high-level structure as afforded by those languages. That's what I would try first, as SMT-Lib can get quite verbose and error-prone when you deal with a lot of uninterpreted sorts, axioms, etc.

Difference between macro and quantifier in Z3

I would like to know what is the difference between following 2 statements -
Statement 1
(define-fun max_integ ((x Int) (y Int)) Int
(ite (< x y) y x))
Statement 2
(declare-fun max_integ ((Int)(Int)) Int)
(assert (forall ((x Int) (y Int)) (= (max_integ x y) (if (< x y) y x))))
I observed that when I use Statement1, my z3 constraints give me a result in 0.03 seconds. Whereas when I used Statement2, it does not finish in 2 minutes and I terminate the solver.
I would like also to know how achieve it using C-API.
Thanks !
Statement 1 is a macro. Z3 will replace every occurrence of max_integ with the ite expression. It does that during parsing time. In the second statement, by default, Z3 will not eliminate max_integ, and to be able to return sat it has to build an interpretation for the uninterpreted symbol max_integ that will satisfy the quantifier for all x and y.
Z3 has an option called :macro-finder, it will detect quantifiers that are essentially encoding macros, and will eliminate them. Here is an example (also available online here):
(set-option :macro-finder true)
(declare-fun max_integ ((Int)(Int)) Int)
(assert (forall ((x Int) (y Int)) (= (max_integ x y) (if (< x y) y x))))
(check-sat)
(get-model)
That being said, we can easily simulate macros in a programmatic API by writing a function that given Z3 expressions return a new Z3 expression. Here in an example using the Python API (also available online here):
def max(a, b):
# The function If builds a Z3 if-then-else expression
return If(a >= b, a, b)
x, y = Ints('x y')
solve(x == max(x, y), y == max(x, y), x > 0)
Yet another option is to use the C API: Z3_substitute_vars. The idea is to an expression containing free variables. Free variables are created using the API Z3_mk_bound. Each variable represents an argument. Then, we use Z3_substitute_vars to replace the variables with other expressions.

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