Search for: All records

A recent breakthrough in computer-assisted mathematics showed that every set of 30 points in the plane in general position (i.e., no three points on a common line) contains an empty convex hexagon. Heule and Scheucher solved this problem with a combination of geometric insights and automated reasoning techniques by constructing CNF formulas ϕ_n, with O(n⁴) clauses, such that if ϕ_n is unsatisfiable then every set of n points in general position must contain an empty convex hexagon. An unsatisfiability proof for n = 30 was then found with a SAT solver using 17 300 CPU hours of parallel computation. In this paper, we formalize and verify this result in the Lean theorem prover. Our formalization covers ideas in discrete computational geometry and SAT encoding techniques by introducing a framework that connects geometric objects to propositional assignments. We see this as a key step towards the formal verification of other SAT-based results in geometry, since the abstractions we use have been successfully applied to similar problems. Overall, we hope that our work sets a new standard for the verification of geometry problems relying on extensive computation, and that it increases the trust the mathematical community places in computer-assisted proofs. 

Satisfiability (SAT) solvers are versatile tools that can solve a wide array of problems, and the models and proofs of unsatisfiability emitted by SAT solvers can be checked by verified software. In this way, the SAT toolchain is trustworthy. However, many applications are not expressed natively in SAT and must instead be encoded into SAT. These encodings are often subtle, and implementations are error-prone. Formal correctness proofs are needed to ensure that implementations are bug-free. In this paper, we present a library for formally verifying SAT encodings, written using the Lean interactive theorem prover. Our library currently contains verified encodings for the parity, at-most-one, and at-most-k constraints. It also contains methods of generating fresh variable names and combining sub-encodings to form more complex ones, such as one for encoding a valid Sudoku board. The proofs in our library are general, and so this library serves as a basis for future encoding efforts 

Satisfiability (SAT) solvers are versatile tools that can solve a wide array of problems, and the models and proofs of unsatisfiability emitted by SAT solvers can be checked by verified software. In this way, the SAT toolchain is trustworthy. However, many applications are not expressed natively in SAT and must instead be encoded into SAT. These encodings are often subtle, and implementations are error-prone. Formal correctness proofs are needed to ensure that implementations are bug-free. In this paper, we present a library for formally verifying SAT encodings, written using the Lean interactive theorem prover. Our library currently contains verified encodings for the parity, at-most-one, and at-most-k constraints. It also contains methods of generating fresh variable names and combining sub-encodings to form more complex ones, such as one for encoding a valid Sudoku board. The proofs in our library are general, and so this library serves as a basis for future encoding efforts.