Expert systems: Practice Questions

In an expert system used for mineral prospecting, which component is responsible for applying the IF...THEN rules found in the knowledge base to the facts provided by the user to reach a conclusion?

An expert system is being developed to assist a bank in investment analysis. Which component of the expert system is responsible for simulating the human reasoning process by applying the IF...THEN rules found in the system to the data provided by the user?

In the context of Expert Systems, an inference engine can use backward chaining to reach a conclusion. Which of the following best describes the process of backward chaining when used in a medical diagnostic system?

Which component of an expert system allows a knowledge engineer to update or modify the facts and rules stored within the system?

A logistics company uses a goal driven expert system for route scheduling. Which of the following statements best describes the backward chaining mechanism utilized in this scenario?

A medical clinic is developing an expert system to assist junior doctors in diagnosing rare tropical diseases. The system uses a series of questions to narrow down the possible illness based on symptoms provided by the patient.

(a) Identify and describe the roles of the inference engine and the knowledge base within this expert system. [2]
(b) Explain the difference between forward chaining and backward chaining in the context of this diagnostic system. [2]
(c) Discuss why an explanation system is a critical component for a medical diagnostic expert system, and explain how a knowledge base editor would be used during the system's maintenance phase. [3]