1997ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and SystemsOpen access

Kleene algebra with tests

Dexter Kozen

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Abstract

We introduce Kleene algebra with tests, an equational system for manipulating programs. We give a purely equational proof, using Kleene algebra with tests and commutativity conditions, of the following classical result: every while program can be simulated by a while program can be simulated by a while program with at most one while loop. The proof illustrates the use of Kleene algebra with tests and commutativity conditions in program equivalence proofs.

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We introduce Kleene algebra with tests, an equational system for manipulating programs. We give a purely equational proof, using Kleene algebra with tests and commutativity conditions, of the following classical result: every while program can be simulated by a while program can be simulated by a while program with at most one while loop. The proof illustrates the use of Kleene algebra with tests and commutativity conditions in program equivalence proofs.

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Available abstract

We introduce Kleene algebra with tests, an equational system for manipulating programs. We give a purely equational proof, using Kleene algebra with tests and commutativity conditions, of the following classical result: every while program can be simulated by a while program can be simulated by a while program with at most one while loop. The proof illustrates the use of Kleene algebra with tests and commutativity conditions in program equivalence proofs.

Key concepts: Kleene algebra, Mathematical proof, Equivalence (formal languages), Kleene's recursion theorem, Algebra over a field, Commutative property, Computer science, Mathematics

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