Axiomatic Definitions of Programming Languages: A Theoretical Assessment

Abstract

A precise definition is given of how partial correctness or termination assertions serve to define the semantics of classees of program schemes. Assertions involving only formulas of first order predicate calculus are proved capable of defining program scheme semantics, and effective axiom systems for deriving such assertions are described. Such axiomatic definitions are possible despite the limited expressive power of predicate calculus.