Algebraic Methods in Semantics


Book Description

This book, which contains contributions from leading researchers in France, USA and Great Britain, gives detailed accounts of a variety of methods for describing the semantics of programming languages, i.e. for attaching to programs mathematical objects that encompass their meaning. Consideration is given to both denotational semantics, where the meaning of a program is regarded as a function from inputs to outputs, and operational semantics, where the meaning includes the sequence of states or terms generated internally during the computation. The major problems considered include equivalence relations between operational and denotational semantics, rules for obtaining optimal computations (especially for nondeterministic programs), equivalence of programs, meaning-preserving transformations of programs and program proving by assertions. Such problems are discussed for a variety of programming languages and formalisms, and a wealth of mathematical tools is described.







Combinatorial Algebra: Syntax and Semantics


Book Description

Combinatorial Algebra: Syntax and Semantics provides comprehensive account of many areas of combinatorial algebra. It contains self-contained proofs of more than 20 fundamental results, both classical and modern. This includes Golod–Shafarevich and Olshanskii's solutions of Burnside problems, Shirshov's solution of Kurosh's problem for PI rings, Belov's solution of Specht's problem for varieties of rings, Grigorchuk's solution of Milnor's problem, Bass–Guivarc'h theorem about growth of nilpotent groups, Kleiman's solution of Hanna Neumann's problem for varieties of groups, Adian's solution of von Neumann-Day's problem, Trahtman's solution of the road coloring problem of Adler, Goodwyn and Weiss. The book emphasize several ``universal" tools, such as trees, subshifts, uniformly recurrent words, diagrams and automata. With over 350 exercises at various levels of difficulty and with hints for the more difficult problems, this book can be used as a textbook, and aims to reach a wide and diversified audience. No prerequisites beyond standard courses in linear and abstract algebra are required. The broad appeal of this textbook extends to a variety of student levels: from advanced high-schoolers to undergraduates and graduate students, including those in search of a Ph.D. thesis who will benefit from the “Further reading and open problems” sections at the end of Chapters 2 –5. The book can also be used for self-study, engaging those beyond t he classroom setting: researchers, instructors, students, virtually anyone who wishes to learn and better understand this important area of mathematics.




Mathematical Foundations of Programming Semantics


Book Description

This volume is the proceedings of the Ninth International Conference on the Mathematical Foundations of Programming Semantics, held in New Orleans in April 1993. The focus of the conference series is the semantics of programming languages and the mathematics which supports the study of the semantics. The semantics is basically denotation. The mathematics may be classified as category theory, lattice theory, or logic. Recent conferences and workshops have increasingly emphasized applications of the semantics and mathematics. The study of the semantics develops with the mathematics and the mathematics is inspired by the applications in semantics. The volume presents current research in denotational semantics and applications of category theory, logic, and lattice theory to semantics.




The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages


Book Description

The Formal Semantics of Programming Languages provides the basic mathematical techniques necessary for those who are beginning a study of the semantics and logics of programming languages. These techniques will allow students to invent, formalize, and justify rules with which to reason about a variety of programming languages. Although the treatment is elementary, several of the topics covered are drawn from recent research, including the vital area of concurency. The book contains many exercises ranging from simple to miniprojects.Starting with basic set theory, structural operational semantics is introduced as a way to define the meaning of programming languages along with associated proof techniques. Denotational and axiomatic semantics are illustrated on a simple language of while-programs, and fall proofs are given of the equivalence of the operational and denotational semantics and soundness and relative completeness of the axiomatic semantics. A proof of Godel's incompleteness theorem, which emphasizes the impossibility of achieving a fully complete axiomatic semantics, is included. It is supported by an appendix providing an introduction to the theory of computability based on while-programs. Following a presentation of domain theory, the semantics and methods of proof for several functional languages are treated. The simplest language is that of recursion equations with both call-by-value and call-by-name evaluation. This work is extended to lan guages with higher and recursive types, including a treatment of the eager and lazy lambda-calculi. Throughout, the relationship between denotational and operational semantics is stressed, and the proofs of the correspondence between the operation and denotational semantics are provided. The treatment of recursive types - one of the more advanced parts of the book - relies on the use of information systems to represent domains. The book concludes with a chapter on parallel programming languages, accompanied by a discussion of methods for specifying and verifying nondeterministic and parallel programs.




Proof Theory and Algebra in Logic


Book Description

This book offers a concise introduction to both proof-theory and algebraic methods, the core of the syntactic and semantic study of logic respectively. The importance of combining these two has been increasingly recognized in recent years. It highlights the contrasts between the deep, concrete results using the former and the general, abstract ones using the latter. Covering modal logics, many-valued logics, superintuitionistic and substructural logics, together with their algebraic semantics, the book also provides an introduction to nonclassical logic for undergraduate or graduate level courses.The book is divided into two parts: Proof Theory in Part I and Algebra in Logic in Part II. Part I presents sequent systems and discusses cut elimination and its applications in detail. It also provides simplified proof of cut elimination, making the topic more accessible. The last chapter of Part I is devoted to clarification of the classes of logics that are discussed in the second part. Part II focuses on algebraic semantics for these logics. At the same time, it is a gentle introduction to the basics of algebraic logic and universal algebra with many examples of their applications in logic. Part II can be read independently of Part I, with only minimum knowledge required, and as such is suitable as a textbook for short introductory courses on algebra in logic.




The Mathematics of Language


Book Description

Table of contents




Semantics and Algebraic Specification


Book Description

proceedings of the symposium. Somecontributorswereunabletoattendthe event.




Mathematical Methods in Linguistics


Book Description

Elementary set theory accustoms the students to mathematical abstraction, includes the standard constructions of relations, functions, and orderings, and leads to a discussion of the various orders of infinity. The material on logic covers not only the standard statement logic and first-order predicate logic but includes an introduction to formal systems, axiomatization, and model theory. The section on algebra is presented with an emphasis on lattices as well as Boolean and Heyting algebras. Background for recent research in natural language semantics includes sections on lambda-abstraction and generalized quantifiers. Chapters on automata theory and formal languages contain a discussion of languages between context-free and context-sensitive and form the background for much current work in syntactic theory and computational linguistics. The many exercises not only reinforce basic skills but offer an entry to linguistic applications of mathematical concepts. For upper-level undergraduate students and graduate students in theoretical linguistics, computer-science students with interests in computational linguistics, logic programming and artificial intelligence, mathematicians and logicians with interests in linguistics and the semantics of natural language.




Algebraic Methods II: Theory, Tools and Applications


Book Description

The proper treatment and choice of the basic data structures is an important and complex part in the process of program construction. Algebraic methods provide techniques for data abstraction and the structured specification, validation and analysis of data structures. This volume originates from a workshop organized within ESPRIT Project 432 METEOR, An Integrated Formal Approach to Industrial Software Development, held in Mierlo, The Netherlands, September 1989. The volume includes five invited contributions based on workshop talks given by A. Finkelstein, P. Klint, C.A. Middelburg, E.-R. Olderog, and H.A. Partsch. Ten further papers by members of the METEOR team are based on talks given at the workshop. The workshop was a successor to an earlier one held in Passau, Germany, June 1987, the proceedings of which were published as Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 394.