For model answers, click here . The book covers formal specification in Z and VDM, specification of object oriented systems, specification of safety critical systems, algebraic specification. It pays particular attention to developing specification skills both with respect to abstraction and mathematical modelling of software. Introductory Logic And Sets Computer Scientists Model Answers Model answers for each chapter are available in PostScript format. It is a concept of significant practical interest and aims at the identification of reusable safety critical software so that they can be better engineered and reused across different applications with minimal modifications.
Current achievements demonstrate the concept using a physical model of railway signalling.
Another application used for demonstrative purposes is drawn from biotechnology. The above research is under-pinned by the work on formal techniques for transforming unsafe programs into safe programs. Work in progress with Simeon Veloudis elevates the study to a more abstract level and aims at the creation of a general framework for safety critical systems design. The approach advocates a hierarchical approach, whereby equipments and the system are first modelled in a way that each functions in the ideal manner. In the next stage, alongside a more detail design, possible failure modes are incorporated into each equipment, interfaces and the controller, but with little interest in their consequences.