  Put succinctly, the frame problem in its narrow, technical form is this (McCarthy &amp; Hayes 1969). Using mathematical logic, how is it possible to write formulae that describe the effects of actions without having to write a large number of accompanying formulae that describe the mundane, obvious non-effects of those actions? Let's take a look at an example. The difficulty can be illustrated without the full apparatus of formal logic, but it should be borne in mind that the devil is in the mathematical details. Suppose we write two formulae, one describing the effects of painting an object and the other describing the effects of moving an object.