On the complexity of the correctness problem for non-zeroness test instruction sequences

This paper concerns the question to what extent it can be efficiently determined whether an arbitrary program correctly solves a given problem. This question is investigated with programs of a very simple form, namely instruction sequences, and a very simple problem, namely the non-zeroness test on natural numbers. The instruction sequences concerned are of a kind by which, for each $n > 0$, each function from $\{0,1\}^n$ to $\{0,1\}$ can be computed. The established results include the time complexities of the problem of determining whether an arbitrary instruction sequence correctly implements the restriction to $\{0,1\}^n$ of the function from $\{0,1\}^*$ to $\{0,1\}$ that models the non-zeroness test function, for $n > 0$, under several restrictions on the arbitrary instruction sequence.Comment: 32 pages, minor revision with several obscurities made clea

Program algebra for Turing-machine programs

This paper presents an algebraic theory of instruction sequences with instructions for Turing tapes as basic instructions, the behaviours produced by the instruction sequences concerned under execution, and the interaction between such behaviours and Turing tapes provided by an execution environment. This theory provides a setting for the development of theory in areas such as computability and computational complexity that distinguishes itself by offering the possibility of equational reasoning and being more general than the setting provided by a known version of the Turing-machine model of computation. The theory is essentially an instantiation of a parameterized algebraic theory which is the basis of a line of research in which issues relating to a wide variety of subjects from computer science have been rigorously investigated thinking in terms of instruction sequences.Comment: 19 pages, Sect. 2--4 are largely shortened versions of Sect. 2--4 of arXiv:1808.04264, which, in turn, draw from preliminary sections of several earlier papers; 21 pages, some remarks in Sect.1 and Sect.10 adde

A short introduction to program algebra with instructions for Boolean registers

A parameterized algebraic theory of instruction sequences, objects that represent the behaviours produced by instruction sequences under execution, and objects that represent the behaviours exhibited by the components of the execution environment of instruction sequences is the basis of a line of research in which issues relating to a wide variety of subjects from computer science have been rigorously investigated thinking in terms of instruction sequences. In various papers that belong to this line of research, use is made of an instantiation of this theory in which the basic instructions are instructions to read out and alter the content of Boolean registers and the components of the execution environment are Boolean registers. In this paper, we give a simplified presentation of the most general such instantiated theory.Comment: 21 pages, this paper is to a large extent a compilation of material from several earlier publications; 23 pages, presentation improved and section on uses for the theory added. arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1702.0351

Program algebra for random access machine programs

This paper presents an algebraic theory of instruction sequences with instructions for a random access machine (RAM) as basic instructions, the behaviours produced by the instruction sequences concerned under execution, and the interaction between such behaviours and RAM memories. This theory provides a setting for the development of theory in areas such as computational complexity and analysis of algorithm that distinguishes itself by offering the possibility of equational reasoning to establish whether an instruction sequence computes a given function and being more general than the setting provided by any known version of the RAM model of computation. In this setting, a semi-realistic version of the RAM model of computation and a bit-oriented time complexity measure for this version are introduced.Comment: 25 pages, Sect. 2--4 are largely shortened versions of Sect. 2--4 of arXiv:1808.04264, which, in turn, draw from preliminary sections of several other papers. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1901.0884