The Little Prover
ISBN: 9780262330565
Platform/Publisher: JSTOR / The MIT Press
Digital rights: Users: unlimited; Printing: chapter; Download: chapter
Subjects: Automatic theorem proving; LISP (Computer program language);

An introduction to writing proofs about computer programs, written in an accessible question-and-answer style, complete with step-by-step examples and a simple proof assistant.

The Little Prover introduces inductive proofs as a way to determine facts about computer programs. It is written in an approachable, engaging style of question-and-answer, with the characteristic humor of The Little Schemer (fourth edition, MIT Press). Sometimes the best way to learn something is to sit down and do it; the book takes readers through step-by-step examples showing how to write inductive proofs. The Little Prover assumes only knowledge of recursive programs and lists (as presented in the first three chapters of The Little Schemer ) and uses only a few terms beyond what novice programmers already know. The book comes with a simple proof assistant to help readers work through the book and complete solutions to every example.

hidden image for function call