ICMS 2014 session on automated proofs by induction

Organizer

David Monniaux, CNRS / VERIMAG

Aims and scope

In many contexts one proves properties of the form $\forall n\in \mathbb {N} ~P(n)$. For instance, formal verification of software proves safety properties of the form “for any number of program steps, the output satisfies the specification”.

In easy cases, $P(n)$ can be proved by induction: $P(0)$ holds and $P(n)\Rightarrow P(n+1)$ holds for all $n$. In most cases, however, one must invent some property $Q$ that is “inductive” ($Q(0)$ holds and $Q(n)\Rightarrow Q(n+1)$ holds for all $n$) and such that $Q(n)\Rightarrow P(n)$ holds. In software verification, such a property is called an “inductive invariant”.

Over the years, a variety of approaches have been proposed to automatically or semi-automatically obtain inductive properties, in areas such as computer algebra, automated program analysis and automated theorem proving.

The session aims at bringing together designers of software verification tools and automated theorem provers, and users of these tools.

Topics

Topics include, non-exhaustively:

• abstract interpretation
• predicate abstraction
• policy iteration
• approaches based Craig interpolation
• k-induction

Publications

• A short abstract will appear on the permanent conference web page (see below) as soon as accepted.
• An extended abstract will appear on the permanent conference web page (see below) as soon as accepted. It will also appear on the proceedings that will be distributed during the meeting.
• We plan to invite speakers of the session to a special journal issue after the conference (more information about this later).