Introductory Logic and Formal Methods

Formal methods are becoming of increasing importance, and are now part of most computer science courses. This book covers the core requirements of logic and predicate calculus for computer scientists, and introduces the formal specification language Z. The emphasis in any formal specification language is on rigour. The production of high-integrity software demands correct, accurate and precise software specification. Using the English language to specify software requirements allows the possibility of ambigiuty as the same word can be interpreted in different ways by different people. Formal methods of specification, which rely heavily on mathematics and logic have been developed to provide a framework allowing precise software specification. Computer scientists must therefore be familiar with the rudiments of logic and discrete mathematics, topics which are covered in this book. The computer language Z is used for much formal specification. This book introduces Z, and explains how it can be used effectively in the precise and concise description of systems and the specification of software for those systems.