CSCI3406 Fuzzy Logic Week 2

Fuzzy Sets
Fuzzy sets is fully defined by its membership functions. Membership function is a function in [0,1] that represents the degree of belonging.

Lets start with a simple example

Ask yourself how tall you are? Would you classify yourself as a tall person? What is the limit that determines tall and short people? Lets collect some figures from you

0 short tall

height

 Because Fuzzy Logic is similar to the way we talk and think, it is easier for us to adjust Cynthia Taylor Fuzzy Logic is particularly good at handling uncertainty, vagueness and imprecision. This is especially useful where a problem can be described linguistically (using words) or, as with neural networks, where there is data and you are looking for relationships or patterns within that data. Fuzzy Logic uses imprecision to provide robust, tractable solutions to problems. Fuzzy logic relies on the concept of a fuzzy set. Zadeh introduced the notion of fuzzy sets in 1965 in a seminal paper (Fuzzy Sets, Information and Control, vol.8, pp:338-353). He is a Professor at the University of Southern California and is still active in the field. The idea of fuzzy sets described in his seminal work lays the basis for Fuzzy Logic.

Lets consider the first example (How tall/short we are?)

1 1

5ft 11ins

7ft height

5ft 11ins

7ft height

A crisp way of modelling tallness

A crisp version of short

Lets consider the first example (How tall/short we are?)

1 tall very tall quite tall 0
5ft 11ins

7ft

height

crisp definitions for tallness

Definition in a Fuzzy Set (How tall/short we are?)

1

height

Definition in a Fuzzy Set (How tall/short we are?)

1

5ft 11ins

7 ft

height

A possible fuzzy set tall

Definition in a Fuzzy Set (How tall/short we are?)

1

5ft 11ins

7 ft

height

A possible fuzzy set short

Definition in a Fuzzy Set (How tall/short we are?)

1 0.75 short tall

0.40
0

5ft 11ins

7 ft

height

Membership functions that represent tallness and short

Some maths! Formal definitions of a fuzzy set

For any fuzzy set, (lets say) A, the function A represents the membership function for which A(x) indicates the degree of membership that x, of the universal set X, belongs to set A and is, usually, expressed as a number between 0 and 1 A(x) : X [0,1] Fuzzy sets can be either discrete or continuous

 The notation for fuzzy sets: for the member, x, of a discrete set with membership , we use the notation /x . In other words, x is a member of the set to degree . Discrete sets are defined as:
A = 1 /x1+2/x2+..+n/xn or (in a more compact form)

x1 ,x2 , .. xn : members of the set A 1, 2,..n : x1 , x2 .. xn s degree of membership.

 A continuous fuzzy set A can be defined as:

Example: Discrete and Continuous fuzzy sets to represent the set of numbers close to 1

numbers

 Example: describing people as young, middleaged, and old

1
young

Middle-aged

old

Age

Fuzzy Logic allows modelling of linguistic terms using linguistic variables and linguistic values. The fuzzy sets young, middle-aged, and old are fully defined by their membership functions. The linguistic variable Age can then take linguistic values.

 Key Points for a fuzzy set:

The members of a fuzzy set are members to some degree, known as a membership grade or degree of membership A fuzzy set is fully determined by the membership function The membership grade is the degree of belonging to the fuzzy set. The larger the number (in [0,1]) the more the degree of belonging. The translation from x to A(x) is known as fuzzification A fuzzy set is either continuous or discrete. Fuzzy sets are NOT probabilities Graphical representation of membership functions is very useful.

Imprecision and Vagueness or Linguistic Uncertainty

Imprecision
In many physical systems, measurements are never precise Fuzzy numbers are one way of capturing this imprecision by having a fuzzy set representing a real number where the numbers in an interval near to the number are in the fuzzy set to some degree. 1

The fuzzy number About 35

0 35

 Vagueness or Linguistic Uncertainty

Another use of fuzzy sets is where words have been used to capture imprecise notions, loose concepts or perceptions.

The fuzzy set Risk

0

Risk

Next week

Lecture
LAB

Fuzzy Operations
Introduction to Fuzzy Logic Toolbox of MATLAB and Fuzzy Membership Functions