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Abstract

Formal methods in general refer to the use of techniques from logic and discrete mathematics to specification, design, construction, and analysis of computer systems and software [Kelly, 1997; Storey, 1996]. In this chapter, we will give a short overview of the role of formal methods in the area of software engineering. Formal methods are very important in order to avoid incomplete, inconsistent and ambiguous requirements, specifications or system descriptions. In contrast to documents written in natural language, formal methods are based on formal languages (e.g., mathematical logic) and require the explicit and concise notation of all assumptions.

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© 2001 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Schumann, J.M. (2001). Formal Methods in Software Engineering. In: Automated Theorem Proving in Software Engineering. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-22646-9_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-22646-9_2

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-08759-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-662-22646-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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