Structured objects can be drawn as trees. Each non-terminal node (that is, a node with a branch growing from it) is a functor of a structured object; each terminal node (sometimes known as "leaves" or "leaf nodes") is a term that is atomic or a variable.
We'll start with a simple example:
parents('n''pongo', jambo).
Examples with a structured object within a structured object produce more interesting trees. Take, for example:
parents(mother('n''pongo'), father(jambo)).
Finally, we'll have an example using the most extensive case presented above:
mammal(gorilla, 'n''gola', female, parents(mother('n''pongo'),
father(jambo)), 1988).
We can see from this example that structured objects can have any number of arguments and don't have to be balanced or symmetrical.
These Pages are maintained by
Dr Peter Hancox
Last updated October 1998