Intelligent Behavior in Problem-Solving Machines

As one step in the study of intelligent behavior in machines, the authors consider the particular case of a machine that can prove theorems in elementary Euclidean plane geometry. The device uses no advanced decision algorithm, but relies rather on rudimentary mathematics and “ingenuity” in the manner, for example, of a clever high-school student. This paper discusses heuristic methods and learning machines and introduces the concept of a theory machine as an extension of a theorem-proving machine.