Solving equations in the universe of hypersets

Hyperset Theory (a.k.a. ZFC~/AFA) of Peter Aczel is an enrichment of the classical ZFC set theory and uses a graphical representation for sets. By allowing non-well-founded sets, the theory provides an appropriate framework for modeling various phenomena involving circularity. Z F C /A F A has an important consequence that guarantees a solution to a set of equations in the universe of hypersets, viz. the Solution Lemma. This lemma asserts that a system of equations defined in the universe of hypersets has a unique solution, and has applications in areas like artificial intelligence, database theory, and situation theory. In this thesis, a program called HYPERSOLVER, which can solve systems of equations to which the Solution Lemma is applicable and which has built-in procedures to display the graphs depicting the solutions, is presented.