16,976 research outputs found
Mathematical Explanation: A Contextual Approach
PurposeIn this article, we aim to present and defend a contextual approach to mathematical explanation.MethodTo do this, we introduce an epistemic reading of mathematical explanation.ResultsThe epistemic reading not only clarifies the link between mathematical explanation and mathematical understanding, but also allows us to explicate some contextual factors governing explanation. We then show how several accounts of mathematical explanation can be read in this approach.ConclusionThe contextual approach defended here clears up the notion of explanation and pushes us towards a pluralist vision on mathematical explanation
Multi-level Contextual Type Theory
Contextual type theory distinguishes between bound variables and
meta-variables to write potentially incomplete terms in the presence of
binders. It has found good use as a framework for concise explanations of
higher-order unification, characterize holes in proofs, and in developing a
foundation for programming with higher-order abstract syntax, as embodied by
the programming and reasoning environment Beluga. However, to reason about
these applications, we need to introduce meta^2-variables to characterize the
dependency on meta-variables and bound variables. In other words, we must go
beyond a two-level system granting only bound variables and meta-variables.
In this paper we generalize contextual type theory to n levels for arbitrary
n, so as to obtain a formal system offering bound variables, meta-variables and
so on all the way to meta^n-variables. We obtain a uniform account by
collapsing all these different kinds of variables into a single notion of
variabe indexed by some level k. We give a decidable bi-directional type system
which characterizes beta-eta-normal forms together with a generalized
substitution operation.Comment: In Proceedings LFMTP 2011, arXiv:1110.668
Reconstructing a logic for inductive proofs of properties of functional programs
A logical framework consisting of a polymorphic call-by-value functional language and a first-order logic on the values is presented, which is a reconstruction of the logic of the verification system VeriFun. The reconstruction uses contextual semantics to define the logical value of equations. It equates undefinedness and non-termination, which is a standard semantical approach. The main results of this paper are: Meta-theorems about the globality of several classes of theorems in the logic, and proofs of global correctness of transformations and deduction rules. The deduction rules of VeriFun are globally correct if rules depending on termination are appropriately formulated. The reconstruction also gives hints on generalizations of the VeriFun framework: reasoning on nonterminating expressions and functions, mutual recursive functions and abstractions in the data values, and formulas with arbitrary quantifier prefix could be allowed
Sharing a Library between Proof Assistants: Reaching out to the HOL Family
We observe today a large diversity of proof systems. This diversity has the
negative consequence that a lot of theorems are proved many times. Unlike
programming languages, it is difficult for these systems to co-operate because
they do not implement the same logic. Logical frameworks are a class of theorem
provers that overcome this issue by their capacity of implementing various
logics. In this work, we study the STTforall logic, an extension of Simple Type
Theory that has been encoded in the logical framework Dedukti. We present a
translation from this logic to OpenTheory, a proof system and interoperability
tool between provers of the HOL family. We have used this translation to export
an arithmetic library containing Fermat's little theorem to OpenTheory and to
two other proof systems that are Coq and Matita.Comment: In Proceedings LFMTP 2018, arXiv:1807.0135
Coinduction up to in a fibrational setting
Bisimulation up-to enhances the coinductive proof method for bisimilarity,
providing efficient proof techniques for checking properties of different kinds
of systems. We prove the soundness of such techniques in a fibrational setting,
building on the seminal work of Hermida and Jacobs. This allows us to
systematically obtain up-to techniques not only for bisimilarity but for a
large class of coinductive predicates modelled as coalgebras. By tuning the
parameters of our framework, we obtain novel techniques for unary predicates
and nominal automata, a variant of the GSOS rule format for similarity, and a
new categorical treatment of weak bisimilarity
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