In computing science design plays an eminently important role. By now, it is quite clear that the issue of proper design of programs within a formal calculus is one of the most interesting and most difficult parts of computing science. Many demanding problems have to be envisaged here such as notations, rules and calculi, and the study of semantic models. We are 'far away from comprehensive and widely accepted solutions in these areas. Discussions at the summer school have clearly shown that people have quite different perspectives and priorities with respect to these three main areas. There is a general agreement that notation is very important. Here, notation is not so much used in the sense of "syntactic sugar", but rather in the sense of abstract syntax, in the sense of language constructs. Proper notation can significantly improve our understanding of the nature of the objects that we are dealing with and simplify the formal manipulation of these objects. However, influenced by educational background, habits, and schools of thought there are quite different tastes with respect to notation. The papers in these proceedings show very clearly how different those notations can be even when talking about quite similar objects.

Klappentext

This volume contains the proceedings of the NATO-sponsored Advanced Research Study Institute on Logic of Programming and Calculi of Discrete Design, held in continuation of the series of well-known summer schools in Marktoberdorf, July 29-August 10, 1986. The proceedings give an excellent overview of the state of the art in formal methods of program design. The book treats both logic in programming and formal calculi in the discrete design of programs and systems, including foundations of logic, equational logic, modal logics, support systems for logical reasoning, and design calculi for programs and program specifications.

Inhalt
I: Programming Calculi.- An Introduction to the Theory of Lists.- A Heuristic Explanation of Batcher's Baffler.- Predicative Methodology.- Termination Conventions and Comparative Semantics.- Predicative Communications.- Notes on Logic Programming.- II: Specification and Verification Calculi.- Program Specification and Verification in VDM.- Equational Specification of Partial Higher Order Algebras.- Extreme Solutions of Equations.- Logic Based on Programming.- Algebraic Specifications and Proofs for Communicating Sequential Processes.- III: Design and Construction Calculi.- Deduction and Computation.- Expressing Program Developments in a Design Calculus.- Models and Logic of MOS Circuits.- List of Lecturers.