Abstract
This chapter presents the Z specification language, which is one of the most widely used formal methods. Z is a formal specification language that is based on Zermelo set theory. It was developed at the Programming Research Group at Oxford University in the early 1980s. Z specifications are mathematical and employ a classical two-valued logic. The use of mathematics ensures precision and allows inconsistencies and gaps in the specification to be identified. Theorem provers may be employed to demonstrate that the software implementation meets its specification.
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Notes
- 1.
Step-wise refinement involves producing a sequence of increasingly more concrete specifications until eventually the executable code is produced. Each refinement step has associated proof obligations to prove that it is valid.
- 2.
This project claimed a 9% increase in productivity attributed to the use of formal methods.
Reference
Diller A (1990) An introduction to formal methods. Wiley, England
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O’Regan, G. (2023). Z Formal Specification Language. In: Mathematical Foundations of Software Engineering. Texts in Computer Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26212-8_17
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-26212-8_17
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