Accession Number:

AD0687498

Title:

PROGRAMS AND THEIR PROOFS: AN ALGEBRAIC APPROACH,

Descriptive Note:

Corporate Author:

RCA LABS PRINCETON N J

Personal Author(s):

• Burstall,Rodney M.
• Landin,Peter J.

Report Date:

1968-11-01

Pagination or Media Count:

50.0

Abstract:

Results are presented of some applications of universal algebra and automata theory to programming problems. A method of defining some functions as homomorphisms instead of giving recursive or iterative definitions is explained. As a demonstration of the use of this approach, a proof of the correctness of a simple compiler for expressions is given. The method of description is closely related to the methods of proving theorems about the objects described. The report includes a section on basic algebraic concepts as background for the applications, and a section in which functions commonly encountered in programming are expressed as homomorphisms. Author

Descriptors:

• (*ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
• AUTOMATA)
• (*COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
• ALGEBRA)
• PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
• MATHEMATICAL LOGIC
• GROUPS(MATHEMATICS)
• COMPILERS

Subject Categories:

• Computer Programming and Software
• Bionics

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE