Semantics of a Simple Imperative Programming Language


The following OBJ code defines the syntax and semantics of a simple programming language, and includes a correctness proof of a program to compute powers. This example is taken from a course entitled "Algebraic Semantics of Imperative Programs" that was taught by Joseph Goguen and Grant Malcolm at Oxford University in the 1990s.


obj NAT is sort Nat .
  op 0 : -> Nat .
  op s_ : Nat -> Nat [prec 1] .
endo


obj NATOPS is pr NAT .
  op 1 : -> Nat .
  eq 1 = s 0 .

  op _+_ : Nat Nat -> Nat [assoc comm prec 3] .
  vars M N : Nat .
  eq  M + 0  =  M .
  eq  M + s N  =  s(M + N) .

  op _*_ : Nat Nat -> Nat [assoc comm prec 2] .
  eq  M * 0  =  0 .
  eq  M * s N  =  M * N + M .

  op _**_ : Nat Nat -> Nat [prec 4] .
  eq  M ** 0  =  1 .
  eq  M ** s N  =  (M ** N) * M .

  op _-_ : Nat Nat -> Nat .
  eq  M - 0  =  M .
  eq  0 - M  =  0 .
  eq  s M - s N  =  M - N .

  op _%2 : Nat -> Nat [prec 10] .
  eq  0 %2  =  0 .
  eq  s 0 %2  =  0 .
  eq  s s N %2  =  s(N %2) .

  op even_ : Nat -> Bool  [prec 10] .
  eq  even 0  =  true .
  eq  even s 0  =  false .
  eq  even s s M  =  even M .

  op pos_ : Nat -> Bool .
  eq  pos 0  =  false .
  eq  pos s N  =  true .

  [lemma1] cq (N * N)**(M %2) = N ** M if even M .
  [lemma2] cq N *(N **(M - s 0)) = N ** M if pos M .
endo


th STORE is pr NATOPS .
            pr BOOL .
            pr QID *(sort Id to Var) .
  sort Store .
  op initial : -> Store .
  op _[[_]] : Store Var -> Nat .
  op (_;_:_) : Store Var Nat -> Store .

  vars X Y : Var .
  var S : Store .
  var N : Nat .

  eq  initial [[X]]  =  0 .
  eq  S ; X : N [[X]]  =  N .
  cq  S ; X : N [[Y]]  =  S[[Y]] if X =/= Y .
endth



obj EXP is pr STORE .
  sorts Exp Bexp .
  subsorts Nat Var < Exp .
  subsorts Bool < Bexp .

  op _*_ : Exp Exp -> Exp .
  op _-_ : Exp Exp -> Exp .
  op _%2 : Exp -> Exp .
  op even_ : Exp -> Bexp .
  op pos_ : Exp -> Bexp .

  op _[[_]] : Store Exp -> Nat .
  op _[[_]] : Store Bexp -> Bool .

  var S : Store .
  var N : Nat .
  var B : Bool .
  vars E E' : Exp .

  eq  S[[N]]  =  N . 
  eq  S[[E * E']]  =  S[[E]] * S[[E']] .
  eq  S[[E - E']]  =  S[[E]] - S[[E']] .
  eq  S[[E  %2]]   =  S[[E]] %2 .

  eq  S[[B]]  =  B .
  eq  S[[even E]]  =  even(S[[E]]) .
  eq  S[[pos E]]   =  pos(S[[E]]) .
endo


obj PGM is pr EXP .
           ex STORE .
  sort Pgm .

  op _:=_ : Var Exp -> Pgm .
  op _;_ : Pgm Pgm -> Pgm [assoc prec 50] .
  op if_then_else_fi : Bexp Pgm Pgm -> Pgm .
  op while_do_od : Bexp Pgm -> Pgm .

  op _;_ : Store Pgm -> Store .

  var S : Store .
  var X : Var .  
  var E : Exp .
  var BX : Bexp .
  vars P P' : Pgm .

  eq  S ; (X := E)  =  S ; X : S[[E]] .
  eq  S ; (P ; P') =  (S ; P); P' .
  eq  S ; if BX then P else P' fi  =  if S[[BX]]
                                      then  S ; P
                                      else  S ; P'  fi .
  eq  S ; while BX do P od  =  if S[[BX]]
                               then  S ; P ; while BX do P od
                               else  S  fi .
endo


***> the program:
obj POW is inc PGM .
  ops a0 b0 : -> Nat .

  let init  = 'A := a0 ; 'B := b0 ; 'C := 1 .
  let step  = 'B := 'B - 1 ; 'C := 'C * 'A .
  let inner = 'A := 'A * 'A ; 'B := 'B %2 .
  let outer = while even 'B do inner od ; step .
  let pow   = init ; while pos 'B do outer od .
endo


red pow .


***> example:
open POW .
eq a0 = s s 0 .
eq b0 = s s s 0 .
red initial ; pow [['C]] .  ***> should be: 8
close


***> the verification:
openr POW .

***> the invariant:
op inv : Store -> Bool .
var S : Store .
eq  inv(S)  =  ((S[['A]]) ** (S[['B]])) * (S[['C]]) == a0 ** b0 .

***> init
op s : -> Store .
red inv(s ; init).  ***> should be: true

ops a b c : -> Nat .
eq s[['A]] = a .
eq s[['B]] = b .
eq s[['C]] = c .
close


open POW .
eq (a ** b)* c = a0 ** b0 .
eq pos b = true .
eq even b = true .
red inv(s ; inner).  ***> should be: true
close 


open POW .
eq (a ** b)* c = a0 ** b0 .
eq even b = false .  ***> therefore [lemma3]:
eq pos b = true .
red inv(s ; step) .  ***> should be: true
close

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Last modified: Fri Sep 8 16:26:42 PDT 2000