Logic for Computable Functions

See also: Logic of Computable Functions

Logic for Computable Functions (LCF) is an interactive automated theorem prover developed at the universities of Edinburgh and Stanford by Robin Milner and others in 1972. LCF introduced the general-purpose programming language ML to allow users to write theorem-proving tactics. Theorems in the system are terms of a special "theorem" abstract data type. The ML type system ensures that theorems are derived using only the inference rules given by the operations of the abstract type.

Successors include HOL (Higher Order Logic) and Isabelle.

References

• Gordon, Michael J.; Milner, Arthur J.; Wadsworth, Christopher P. (1979). Edinburgh LCF: A Mechanised Logic of Computation. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 78. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer. doi:10.1007/3-540-09724-4. ISBN 978-3-540-09724-2.
• Gordon, Michael J. C. (2000). "From LCF to HOL: a short history". Proof, language, and interaction. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. pp. 169–185. ISBN 0-262-16188-5. Retrieved 2007-10-11.
• Loeckx, Jacques; Sieber, Kurt (1987). The Foundations of Program Verification (2nd ed.). Vieweg+Teubner Verlag. doi:10.1007/978-3-322-96753-4. ISBN 978-3-322-96754-1.
• Milner, Robin (May 1972). Logic for Computable Functions: description of a machine implementation (PDF). Stanford University.
• Milner, Robin (1979). "Lcf: A way of doing proofs with a machine". In Bečvář, Jiří. Mathematical Foundations of Computer Science 1979. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. 74. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer. pp. 146–159. doi:10.1007/3-540-09526-8_11. ISBN 978-3-540-09526-2.