Lecture: A finite geometric representation of computer program behaviour

C. Antony R. Hoare

Abstract:

Scientists often illustrate the behaviour of a dynamic system by a geometric diagram, in which one dimension represents the passage of time, and the other(s) represent distribution of objects in space. We develop a non-metric finite plane geometry as an intuitive representation of the behaviour of a computer program running on a modern distributed network of concurrent processors. Our hope is to prove a collection of algebraic laws that are used for the implementation and optimisation of programs.

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