Book Descriptions

This book provides a structural introduction to program verification. Sequential programs in the form of deterministic and nondeterministic programs, and concurrent programs in the form of parallel and distributed programs, are considered within the context of their partial and total correctness. While other books have covered verification and semantics of sequential programs, this is the first book to address verification and semantics of structured concurrent programs. The book is appropriate for either a one- or two-semester introductory course on program verification for upper division of undergraduate studies or graduate students. It can also be used as an introduction to operational semantics. Outlines of possible one-semester courses are presented in the preface of the book. Within these chapters, the authors systematically discuss five classes of programs, concentrating on operational semantics, syntax directed assertional proof systems, soundness proofs of the proof systems, program transformations, correctness proofs of the program transformations, and correctness proofs of a substantial example. Each chapter is developed in a systematic and easy-to-understand manner and closes with a list of exercises. The material presented here draws on work which until now was only available in the form of advanced research publications. A large portion of the material is entirely new. This book provides an introduction to the subject which also will lead to current research problems in the areas considered.