---
title: "Declarative vs procedural knowledge"
subject: "Artificial Intelligence"
chapter: 4
key: "semester_6/artificial_intelligence:declarative-vs-procedural-knowledge"
source: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/artificial_intelligence/declarative-vs-procedural-knowledge
site: BCT Engineering
---

# Declarative vs procedural knowledge

Artificial Intelligence · Chapter 4: Knowledge Representation, Inference & Reasoning

- Asked in: 2070 Magh, 2 marks; 2071 Bhadra, 4 marks; 2072 Magh, 3 marks; 2073 Magh, 3 marks (asked 4 times)
- Video: [Procedural vs Declarative Knowledge || Knowledge Representation || Artificial Intelligence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dNTfeHOqS5A) — Intelligible Tutorials
- Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort) on 2026-10-14
- Page: https://www.bctengineer.com/q/semester_6/artificial_intelligence/declarative-vs-procedural-knowledge
- Whole chapter: https://www.bctengineer.com/md/semester_6/artificial_intelligence/chapter-4

## Question

Differentiate between declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge.

## Short answer

Declarative knowledge is knowing 'what' (facts and relationships) and needs an inference mechanism, while procedural knowledge is knowing 'how' (steps and control) and is directly executable. Declarative is easy to modify, but procedural is more efficient.

## Answer

**Declarative knowledge** describes *what is known*, facts and relationships about the world, without saying how to use them. **Procedural knowledge** describes *how to do something*, the steps or control information for performing a task.

| Basis | Declarative knowledge | Procedural knowledge |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Knowing *that* (facts) | Knowing *how* (skills, procedures) |
| Representation | Logic (propositional/FOPL), semantic nets, frames, facts | Production rules, procedures, programs, scripts |
| Use of knowledge | Needs an inference mechanism to use it | Directly executable |
| Modification | Easy to add or change facts | Harder to modify; code must be changed |
| Efficiency | Less efficient (general reasoning needed) | More efficient (control is built in) |
| Explicitness | Explicit, easy to explain | Often implicit, harder to explain |
| Example | "Kathmandu is the capital of Nepal"; ∀x Man(x) → Mortal(x) | An algorithm to sort a list or a rule "IF engine overheats THEN stop and add coolant" |

## Check yourself

The answer's key points as multiple-choice questions, with the correct option and why.

1. Which pair correctly defines the two kinds of knowledge?
   A. Declarative = knowing how; procedural = knowing that
   B. Declarative = knowing that (facts); procedural = knowing how (steps)
   C. Both mean facts only
   D. Both mean programs only
   Answer: B. Declarative knowledge states facts; procedural knowledge gives steps for doing a task. (Key point: Meaning)

2. Which representation is typical of procedural knowledge?
   A. Semantic nets
   B. Production rules and procedures
   C. First-order logic facts
   D. Frames
   Answer: B. Procedural knowledge is represented by production rules, procedures, programs or scripts. (Key point: Representation)

3. Which statement is correct?
   A. Declarative is easy to modify but less efficient; procedural is more efficient but harder to modify
   B. Declarative is more efficient and harder to modify
   C. Both are equally easy to modify
   D. Procedural needs an inference mechanism to use it
   Answer: A. Facts can be added easily but need general reasoning; procedures have control built in but must be rewritten to change. (Key point: Efficiency and modification)

## Related in Artificial Intelligence

- [Knowledge vs learning, acting humanly](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fartificial_intelligence%3Aknowledge-vs-learning-acting-humanly) — Artificial Intelligence, chapter 1
- [Frame vs semantic net](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_6%2Fartificial_intelligence%3Aframe-vs-semantic-net) — Artificial Intelligence, chapter 5

## Related in other subjects

- [Knowledge management vs expert systems](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Finformation_system%3Akm-vs-expert-systems) — Information System, chapter 4
- [Unique vs non-unique address decoding](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_5%2Finstrumentation_ii%3Aunique-vs-nonunique-decoding) — Instrumentation II, chapter 2
- [Marconi transmitter, mobile vs nomadic, Telecom Act](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_8%2Ftelecommunications%3Amarconi-mobile-nomadic-act) — Telecommunications, chapter 1
- [Industrial vs information age; information as wealth](https://www.bctengineer.com/question.md?key=semester_7%2Ftechnology_environment_and_society%3Aindustrial-vs-info-age-wealth) — Technology, Environment and Society, chapter 1, asked 2×