Modeling and simulation for minimum uncertainty in qualitative physics

A method is presented for automatically generating a set of qualitative constraints as the model of a physical system. It emphasizes (1) the generation of qualitative constraints which provide minimum uncertainty for qualitative simulation, and (2) the generation of mathematical constraints for reducing the uncertainty during qualitative simulation. The first is accomplished by searching for a set of redundant constraints based on fundamental principles and the laws of physics. The second is accomplished by applying mathematical knowledge to generate mathematical constraints which are used as global filters during qualitative simulation