Accession Number:

ADA043086

Title:

A Genealogy of Control Structures.

Descriptive Note:

Technical rept.,

Corporate Author:

MASSACHUSETTS UNIV AMHERST DEPT OF COMPUTER AND INFORMATION SCIENCE

Personal Author(s):

• Ledgard,Henry F.

Report Date:

1974-11-01

Pagination or Media Count:

33.0

Abstract:

The issue of control structures has had a heated history in programming. To put this issue on a solid footing, this paper reviews numerous theoretical results on control structures and explores their practical implications. The classic result of Bohm and Jacopini on the theoretical completeness of if-then-else and while-do is discussed. Several recent ideas on control structures, results on timespace limitations, and theorems relating the relative power of control structures under several notions of equivalence. In conclusion, a case is made against the recent arguments of Knuth on the utility of the GOTO statement. Author

Descriptors:

• *STRUCTURAL ANALYSIS
• *COMPUTER LOGIC
• *COMPUTER PROGRAMMING
• *PROGRAMMING LANGUAGES
• EFFICIENCY
• FLOW CHARTING
• LOOPS
• COMPILERS
• EXITS
• TRANSFORMATIONS

Subject Categories:

• Numerical Mathematics
• Computer Programming and Software

Distribution Statement:

APPROVED FOR PUBLIC RELEASE