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Fatal errors in conditional expressions

Extended abstract

  • Session 3: Logic and Algebra
  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Automata, Languages and Programming (ICALP 1996)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 1099))

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Abstract

We propose a semantic model based on multivalued logic for the study of conditional expressions in programming languages. This model allows one to distinguish between different types of observable errors, whereas the coarser 3-valued model considers only one type of undefined result.

We investigate the equational properties of this multivalued model. We present a finite equational basis for if-then-else, for the short-circuit operators +,·,−, and also for the fully-evaluated operators ⊕, ⊙.

Finally, we present formulas for the number of distinct n-ary functions that can be expressed as combinations of short-circuit or fully-evaluated operators.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire sBordelais de Recherche en Informatique, Université Bordeaux 1, (UA 1304 du C.N.R.S) - 351 Cours de la Libération, 33405, Talence Cedex, France

    Michel Billaud

Authors
  1. Michel Billaud
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Friedhelm Meyer Burkhard Monien

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© 1996 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Billaud, M. (1996). Fatal errors in conditional expressions. In: Meyer, F., Monien, B. (eds) Automata, Languages and Programming. ICALP 1996. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 1099. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-61440-0_124

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-61440-0_124

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-61440-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-68580-7

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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