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Physical Symbol System Hypothesis in AI

i. A physical symbol system is a machine that produces evolving collections of symbol structures called expressions over time. ii. A physical symbol system contains expressions and processes to operate on the expressions, like creating, modifying, reproducing, or destroying them. iii. Examples of physical symbol systems include formal logic, algebra, digital computers, and chess.

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Bhuvan Thakur
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205 views

Physical Symbol System Hypothesis in AI

i. A physical symbol system is a machine that produces evolving collections of symbol structures called expressions over time. ii. A physical symbol system contains expressions and processes to operate on the expressions, like creating, modifying, reproducing, or destroying them. iii. Examples of physical symbol systems include formal logic, algebra, digital computers, and chess.

Uploaded by

Bhuvan Thakur
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Explore and discuss Physical symbol system Hypothesis.

i. A physical symbol system is a machine that produces through time an evolving collection of
symbol structures called expressions.
ii. At any given time, a PSS contains- collection of expressions and processes to operate on these
expressions like creation, modification, reproduction, destruction
iii. Examples of physical symbol systems include:
o Formal logic: the symbols are words like "and", "or", "not", "for all x" and so on. The expressions
are statements in formal logic which can be true or false. The processes are the rules of logical
deduction.
o Algebra: the symbols are "+", "*", "x", "y", "1", "2", "3", etc. The expressions are equations. The
processes are the rules of algebra, that allow one to manipulate a mathematical expression and
retain its truth.
o A digital computer: the symbols are zeros and ones of computer memory, the processes are the
operations of the CPU that change memory.
o Chess: the symbols are the pieces, the processes are the legal chess moves, the expressions are
the positions of all the pieces on the board.

iv. The physical symbol system hypothesis (PSSH), first formulated by Newell and Simon in their
Turing Award paper, states that-
“A physical symbol system [such as a digital computer] has the necessary and
sufficient means for intelligent action.”
v. The hypothesis implies that computers, when we provide them with the appropriate symbol-
processing programs, will be capable of intelligent action.
vi. It also implies, as Newell and Simon wrote, that “the symbolic behavior of man arises because
he has the characteristics of a physical symbol system.”
vii. The physical symbol system hypothesis claims that both of these are also examples of physical
symbol systems:
o Intelligent human thought: the symbols are encoded in our brains. The expressions
are thoughts. The processes are the mental operations of thinking.
o A running artificial intelligence program: the symbols are data. The expressions are
more data. The processes are programs that manipulate the data.

viii. The importance of the physical symbol system hypothesis is twofold. It is a significant theory of
the nature of human intelligence and so is of great interest to psychologists. It also forms the
basis of the belief that it is possible to build programs that can perform intelligent tasks now
performed by people.

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