An explicit assumption of continuity is used to generate a fuzzy
implication operator, which yields an envelope of possibility for the
conclusion. A single fuzzy rule A B entails an infinite set of possible
hypothese A'B' whose degree of consistency with the original rule is a
function of the "distance" between A and A' and the "distance" between B
and B'. This distance may be measured geometrically or by set
union/intersection. As the distance between A and A' increases, the
possibility distribution B* spreads further outside B somewhat like a
bell curve, corresponding to common sense reasoning about a continuous
process. The manner in which this spreading occurs is controlled by
parameters encoding assumptions about (a) the maximum possible rate of
change of B' with respect to A' (b) the degree of conservatism or
speculativeness desired for the reasoning process (c) the degree to which
the process is continuous of chaotic.