An Introduction to Practical Formal Methods Using Temporal Logic

The name "temporal logic" may sound complex and daunting; but whilethey describe potentially complex scenarios, temporal logics areoften based on a few simple, and fundamental, concepts -highlighted in this book. An Introduction to Practical FormalMethods Using Temporal Logic provides an introduction to formalmethods based on temporal logic, for developing and testing complexcomputational systems. These methods are supported by manywell-developed tools, techniques and results that can be applied toa wide range of systems. Fisher begins with a full introduction to the subject, coveringthe basics of temporal logic and using a variety of examples,exercises and pointers to more advanced work to help clarify andillustrate the topics discussed. He goes on to describe how thislogic can be used to specify a variety of computational systems,looking at issues of linking specifications, concurrency,communication and composition ability. He then analyses temporalspecification techniques such as deductive verification,algorithmic verification, and direct execution to develop andverify computational systems. The final chapter on case studiesanalyses the potential problems that can occur in a range ofengineering applications in the areas of robotics, railwaysignalling, hardware design, ubiquitous computing, intelligentagents, and information security, and explains how temporal logiccan improve their accuracy and reliability. * Models temporal notions and uses them to analyze computationalsystems * Provides a broad approach to temporal logic across many formalmethods - including specification, verification andimplementation * Introduces and explains freely available tools based ontemporal logics and shows how these can be applied * Presents exercises and pointers to further study in eachchapter, as well as an accompanying website providing links toadditional systems based upon temporal logic as well as additionalmaterial related to the book.