Task structure: a vocabulary for integrating numerical methods and knowledge-based systems

Often Expert Systems (ES) or Knowledge-based Systems (KBS) are described in term of their implementation details. If the complex problem solving activities captured in such systems are viewed as a type of information processing ask then an alternative vocabulary of description is possible which is more suitable for systems design. This vocabulary is called the ‘Task Structure’. Since engineering problem solving is not entirely symbolic and sophisticated numerical computations need to be performed to determine physical system parameters, a KBS in that problem solving environment needs to be integrated with computational procedures for successful application. This paper describes the organization of numeric computation using a Task Structure vocabulary and demonstrates its potential as a viable tool for integration of numerical methods with KBS.