Abstract
Minimisation is a useful technique both in specification and in design. In specification it can lead to shorter and more elegant definitions. These will communicate more clearly the intent of the specifier. In design, minimisation can be used to eliminate non-determinism, for instance after a data refinement step. Minimisation is a general technique for removing non-determinism, and can be applied during a constructive refinement. It records the quantity the designer is optimising, which will help later developers to understand the decisions which were taken during design. These points are supported by some simple examples. The Z notation is used in the examples, and it is suggested that the notation would be improved if minimisation could be expressed more concisely. Following the principle of separation of concerns, a suitable notation for minimisation is one which encourages separate definitions of the set of possible solutions and the function (or relation) which will be used to select the minimal solution or solutions.
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© 1990 Springer-Verlag London
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Gravell, A.M. (1990). Minimisation in Formal Specification and Design. In: Nicholls, J.E. (eds) Z User Workshop. Workshops in Computing. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3877-8_3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-3877-8_3
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