Dr.Doodle: A diagrammatic theorem prover

Abstract

This paper presents the Dr.Doodle system, an interactive theorem prover that uses diagrammatic representations. The assumption underlying this project is that, for some domains (principally geometry), diagrammatic reasoning is easier to understand than conventional algebraic approaches - at least for a significant number of people. The Dr.Doodle system was developed for the domain of metric-space analysis (a geometric domain, but traditionally taught using a dry algebraic formalism). Pilot experiments were conducted to evaluate its potential as the basis of an educational tool, with encouraging results.