Intelligent Systems For Engineers And Scientists

Second Edition Intelligent Systems for Engineers and Scientists © 2001 by CRC Press LLC Second Edition Intelligent Systems for Engineers and Scientists Adrian A. Hopgood CRC Press Boca Raton London New York Washington, D.C. disclaimer3 Page 1 Thursday, August 2, 2001 1:50 PM Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Hopgood, Adrian A. Intelligent systems for engineers and scientists / Adrian A. Hopgood.--2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-8493-0456-3 1. Expert systems (Computer science) 2. Computer-aided engineering. I. Title. QA76.76.E95 H675 2000 006.3′3′02462--dc21 00-010341 This book contains information obtained from authentic and highly regarded sources. Reprinted material is quoted with permission, and sources are indicated. A wide variety of references are listed. Reasonable efforts have been made to publish reliable data and information, but the author and the publisher cannot assume responsibility for the validity of all materials or for the consequences of their use. Neither this book nor any part may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, microfilming, and recording, or by any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The consent of CRC Press LLC does not extend to copying for general distribution, for promotion, for creating new works, or for resale. Specific permission must be obtained in writing from CRC Press LLC for such copying. Direct all inquiries to CRC Press LLC, 2000 N.W. Corporate Blvd., Boca Raton, Florida 33431. Trademark Notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation, without intent to infringe. Visit the CRC Press Web site at www.crcpress © 2001 by CRC Press LLC No claim to original U.S. Government works International Standard Book Number 0-8493-0456-3 Library of Congress Card Number 00-010341 Printed in the United States of America 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 Printed on acid-free paper Preface “Intelligent systems” is a broad term, covering a range of computing techniques that have emerged from research into artificial intelligence. It includes symbolic approaches — in which knowledge is explicitly expressed in words and symbols — and numerical approaches such as neural networks, genetic algorithms, and fuzzy logic. In fact, many practical intelligent systems are a hybrid of different approaches. Whether any of these systems is really capable of displaying intelligent behavior is a moot point. Nevertheless, they are extremely useful and they have enabled elegant solutions to a wide variety of difficult problems. There are plenty of other books available on intelligent systems and related technologies, but I hope this one is substantially different. It takes a practical view, showing the issues encountered in the development of applied systems. I have tried to describe a wide range of intelligent systems techniques, with the help of realistic problems in engineering and science. The examples included here have been specifically selected for the details of the techniques that they illustrate, rather than merely to survey current practice. The book can be roughly divided into two parts. Chapters 1 to 10 describe the techniques of intelligent systems, while Chapters 11 to 14 look at four broad categories of applications. These latter chapters explore in depth the design and implementation issues of applied systems, together with their advantages and difficulties. The four application areas have much in common, as they all concern automated decision making, while making the best use of the available information. The first edition of this book was published as Knowledge-Ba