Programming with Higher-Order Logic

Formal systems that describe computations over syntactic structures occur frequently in computer science. Logic programming provides a natural framework for encoding and animating such systems. However, these systems often embody variable binding, a notion that must be treated carefully at a computational level. This book aims to show that a programming language based on a simply typed version of higher-order logic provides an elegant, declarative means for providing such a treatment. Three broad topics are covered in pursuit of this goal. First, a proof-theoretic framework that supports a general view of logic programming is identified. Second, an actual language called λProlog is developed by applying this view to higher-order logic. Finally, a methodology for programming with specifications is exposed by showing how several computations over formal objects such as logical formulas, functional programs, and λ-terms and π-calculus expressions can be encoded in λProlog.

Author: Dale Miller, Gopalan Nadathur
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 09/06/2012
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.20lbs
Size: 9.10h x 6.10w x 0.90d
ISBN13: 9780521879408
ISBN10: 052187940X
BISAC Categories:
- Computers | Languages | General
- Computers | Programming | Object Oriented