Programming with higher-order logic
By: Dale Miller, Gopalan Nadathur
Contributors: Nadathur, Gopalan
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Cambridge
Language: eng
Number of pages: 306
ISBN-13: 9780521879408
Subjects: Logic programming; Prolog (Computer program language); COMPUTERS / Programming Languages / General
Description: "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 [Lambda]Prolog 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 [lambda]-terms and [pi]-calculus expressions can be encoded in [Lambda]Prolog"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: 1. First-order terms and representations of data; 2. First-order horn clauses; 3. First-order hereditary Harrop formulas; 4. Typed lambda terms and formulas; 5. Using quantification at higher-order types; 6. Mechanisms for structuring large programs; 7. Computations over [lambda]-terms; 8. Unification of [lambda]-terms; 9. Implementing proof systems; 10. Computations over functional programs; 11. Encoding a process calculus language; Appendix A. The Teyjus system.