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Terminating Vistas
In computer science, a computation is said to diverge if it does not terminate or terminates in an exceptional state. Otherwise it is said to converge. In domains where computations are expected to be infinite, such as process calculi, a computation is said to diverge if it fails to be productive (i.e. to continue producing an action within a finite amount of time). Definitions Various subfields of computer science use varying, but mathematically precise, definitions of what it means for a computation to converge or diverge. Rewriting In abstract rewriting, an abstract rewriting system is called convergent if it is both confluent and terminating. The notation ''t'' ↓ ''n'' means that ''t'' reduces to normal form ''n'' in zero or more reductions, ''t''↓ means ''t'' reduces to some normal form in zero or more reductions, and ''t''↑ means ''t'' does not reduce to a normal form; the latter is impossible in a terminating rewriting system. In the lambda calculus an expr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Computer Science
Computer science is the study of computation, information, and automation. Computer science spans Theoretical computer science, theoretical disciplines (such as algorithms, theory of computation, and information theory) to Applied science, applied disciplines (including the design and implementation of Computer architecture, hardware and Software engineering, software). Algorithms and data structures are central to computer science. The theory of computation concerns abstract models of computation and general classes of computational problem, problems that can be solved using them. The fields of cryptography and computer security involve studying the means for secure communication and preventing security vulnerabilities. Computer graphics (computer science), Computer graphics and computational geometry address the generation of images. Programming language theory considers different ways to describe computational processes, and database theory concerns the management of re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Function (mathematics)
In mathematics, a function from a set (mathematics), set to a set assigns to each element of exactly one element of .; the words ''map'', ''mapping'', ''transformation'', ''correspondence'', and ''operator'' are sometimes used synonymously. The set is called the Domain of a function, domain of the function and the set is called the codomain of the function. Functions were originally the idealization of how a varying quantity depends on another quantity. For example, the position of a planet is a ''function'' of time. History of the function concept, Historically, the concept was elaborated with the infinitesimal calculus at the end of the 17th century, and, until the 19th century, the functions that were considered were differentiable function, differentiable (that is, they had a high degree of regularity). The concept of a function was formalized at the end of the 19th century in terms of set theory, and this greatly increased the possible applications of the concept. A f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rewriting Systems
In mathematics, computer science, and logic, rewriting covers a wide range of methods of replacing subterms of a formula with other terms. Such methods may be achieved by rewriting systems (also known as rewrite systems, rewrite engines, or reduction systems). In their most basic form, they consist of a set of objects, plus relations on how to transform those objects. Rewriting can be non-deterministic. One rule to rewrite a term could be applied in many different ways to that term, or more than one rule could be applicable. Rewriting systems then do not provide an algorithm for changing one term to another, but a set of possible rule applications. When combined with an appropriate algorithm, however, rewrite systems can be viewed as computer programs, and several theorem provers and declarative programming languages are based on term rewriting. Example cases Logic In logic, the procedure for obtaining the conjunctive normal form (CNF) of a formula can be implemented as ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Process (computing)
In computing, a process is the Instance (computer science), instance of a computer program that is being executed by one or many thread (computing), threads. There are many different process models, some of which are light weight, but almost all processes (even entire virtual machines) are rooted in an operating system (OS) process which comprises the program code, assigned system resources, physical and logical access permissions, and data structures to initiate, control and coordinate execution activity. Depending on the OS, a process may be made up of multiple threads of execution that execute instructions Concurrency (computer science), concurrently. While a computer program is a passive collection of Instruction set, instructions typically stored in a file on disk, a process is the execution of those instructions after being loaded from the disk into memory. Several processes may be associated with the same program; for example, opening up several instances of the same progra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Programming Language Theory
Programming language theory (PLT) is a branch of computer science that deals with the design, implementation, analysis, characterization, and classification of formal languages known as programming languages. Programming language theory is closely related to other fields including linguistics, mathematics, and software engineering. History In some ways, the history of programming language theory predates even the development of programming languages. The lambda calculus, developed by Alonzo Church and Stephen Cole Kleene in the 1930s, is considered by some to be the world's first programming language, even though it was intended to ''Model of computation, model'' computation rather than being a means for programmers to ''Computer programming, describe'' algorithms to a computer system. Many modern functional programming languages have been described as providing a "thin veneer" over the lambda calculus, and many are described easily in terms of it. The first programming lan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Termination Analysis
In computer science, termination analysis is program analysis which attempts to determine whether the evaluation of a given program halts for ''each'' input. This means to determine whether the input program computes a ''total'' function. It is closely related to the halting problem, which is to determine whether a given program halts for a ''given'' input and which is undecidable. The termination analysis is even more difficult than the halting problem: the termination analysis in the model of Turing machines as the model of programs implementing computable functions would have the goal of deciding whether a given Turing machine is a total Turing machine, and this problem is at level \Pi^0_2 of the arithmetical hierarchy and thus is strictly more difficult than the halting problem. Now as the question whether a computable function is total is not semi-decidable, each ''sound'' termination analyzer (i.e. an affirmative answer is never given for a non-terminating program) is ' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Infinite Loop
In computer programming, an infinite loop (or endless loop) is a sequence of instructions that, as written, will continue endlessly, unless an external intervention occurs, such as turning off power via a switch or pulling a plug. It may be intentional. There is no general algorithm to determine whether a computer program contains an infinite loop or not; this is the halting problem. Overview This differs from "a type of computer program that runs the same instructions continuously until it is either stopped or interrupted". Consider the following pseudocode: how_many = 0 while is_there_more_data() do how_many = how_many + 1 end display "the number of items counted = " how_many ''The same instructions'' were run ''continuously until it was stopped or interrupted'' . . . by the ''FALSE'' returned at some point by the function ''is_there_more_data''. By contrast, the following loop will not end by itself: birds = 1 fish = 2 while birds + fish > 1 do birds = 3 - bird ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Communicating Sequential Processes
In computer science, communicating sequential processes (CSP) is a formal language for describing patterns of interaction in concurrent systems. It is a member of the family of mathematical theories of concurrency known as process algebras, or process calculi, based on message passing via channels. CSP was highly influential in the design of the occam programming language and also influenced the design of programming languages such as Limbo, RaftLib, Erlang (programming language), Erlang, Go (programming language), Go, Crystal (programming language), Crystal, and Clojure's core.async. CSP was first described by Tony Hoare in a 1978 article, and has since evolved substantially. CSP has been practically applied in industry as a tool for formal specification, specifying and verifying the concurrent aspects of a variety of different systems, such as the T9000 Transputer, as well as a secure e-commerce system. The theory of CSP itself is also still the subject of active research, in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Argument (computer Science)
In computer programming, a parameter, a.k.a. formal argument, is a variable that represents an argument, a.k.a. actual argument, a.k.a. actual parameter, to a subroutine call.. A function's signature defines its parameters. A call invocation involves evaluating each argument expression of a call and associating the result with the corresponding parameter. For example, consider subroutine def add(x, y): return x + y. Variables x and y are parameters. For call add(2, 3), the expressions 2 and 3 are arguments. For call add(a+1, b+2), the arguments are a+1 and b+2. Parameter passing is defined by a programming language. Evaluation strategy defines the semantics for how parameters can be declared and how arguments are passed to a subroutine. Generally, with call by value, a parameter acts like a new, local variable initialized to the value of the argument. If the argument is a variable, the subroutine cannot modify the argument state because the parameter is a copy. With call by ref ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bottom Element
In mathematics, especially in order theory, the greatest element of a subset S of a partially ordered set (poset) is an element of S that is greater than every other element of S. The term least element is defined dually, that is, it is an element of S that is smaller than every other element of S. Definitions Let (P, \leq) be a preordered set and let S \subseteq P. An element g \in P is said to be if g \in S and if it also satisfies: :s \leq g for all s \in S. By switching the side of the relation that s is on in the above definition, the definition of a least element of S is obtained. Explicitly, an element l \in P is said to be if l \in S and if it also satisfies: :l \leq s for all s \in S. If (P, \leq) is also a partially ordered set then S can have at most one greatest element and it can have at most one least element. Whenever a greatest element of S exists and is unique then this element is called greatest element of S. The terminology least element of S is ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Function (computer Science)
In computer programming, a function (also procedure, method, subroutine, routine, or subprogram) is a callable unit of software logic that has a well-defined interface and behavior and can be invoked multiple times. Callable units provide a powerful programming tool. The primary purpose is to allow for the decomposition of a large and/or complicated problem into chunks that have relatively low cognitive load and to assign the chunks meaningful names (unless they are anonymous). Judicious application can reduce the cost of developing and maintaining software, while increasing its quality and reliability. Callable units are present at multiple levels of abstraction in the programming environment. For example, a programmer may write a function in source code that is compiled to machine code that implements similar semantics. There is a callable unit in the source code and an associated one in the machine code, but they are different kinds of callable units with different impl ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
State (computer Science)
In information technology and computer science, a system is described as stateful if it is designed to remember preceding events or user interactions; the remembered information is called the state of the system. The set of states a system can occupy is known as its state space. In a discrete system, the state space is countable and often finite. The system's internal behaviour or interaction with its environment consists of separately occurring individual actions or events, such as accepting input or producing output, that may or may not cause the system to change its state. Examples of such systems are digital logic circuits and components, automata and formal language, computer programs, and computers. The output of a digital circuit or deterministic computer program at any time is completely determined by its current inputs and its state. Digital logic circuit state Digital logic circuits can be divided into two types: combinational logic, whose output signals a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
