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Applications of Category Theory to the Area of Algebraic Specification in Computer Science

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Abstract

The theory of algebraic specifications – one of the most important mathematical approaches to the specification of abstract data types and software systems – is reviewed from a mathematical and a computer science point of view. The important role of category theory in this area is discussed and it is shown how the following selected problems are treated using category theory: First, a unified framework for specification logics, second compositional semantics, third partial algebras and their specification, and fourth specifications and models for concurrent systems. For the solution of two of the problems classifying categories are used. They allow to present categories of algebras as functor categories and to derive a number of important properties from well known results for functor categories.

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  1. Technische Universität Berlin, FB Informatik, Sekr. FR 6-1, Franklinstr. 28/29, D-10587, Berlin, Germany

    Hartmut Ehrig, Martin Große-Rhode & Uwe Wolter

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  1. Hartmut Ehrig
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  2. Martin Große-Rhode
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  3. Uwe Wolter
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Ehrig, H., Große-Rhode, M. & Wolter, U. Applications of Category Theory to the Area of Algebraic Specification in Computer Science. Applied Categorical Structures 6, 1–35 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008688122154

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