Automating first-order relational logic

Abstract

An automatic analysis method for first-order logic with sets and relations is described. A first-order formula is translated to a quantifier-free boolean formula, which has a model when the original formula has a model within a given scope (that is, involving no more than some finite number of atoms). Because the satisfiable formulas that occur in practice tend to have small models, a small scope usually suffices and the analysis is efficient.