Verification by Testing for Recursive Program Schemes

. In this paper 1 , we explore the testing-verification relationship with the objective of mechanizing the generation of test data. We consider program classes defined as recursive program schemes and we show that complete and finite test data sets can be associated with such classes, that is to say that these test data sets allow us to distinguish every two di#erent functions in these schemes. This technique is applied to the verification of simple properties of programs. 1 Introduction The only way to improve confidence that a program really achieves its intended purpose is to confront it with other means of expressing this purpose. Typically, such means can be properties that the program is supposed to satisfy or test data sets with oracles characterizing the expected behavior of the program. However, despite the fact that they both contribute to the same final objective, verification and testing remain two independent research areas and we haven't seen much cross-fertiliz..