Abstract
Mathematical expressions are statements for describing the abstract world. Most kinds of mathematical expressions are of a textual form but they can also involve the use of graphical pictures as well, such as the use of Venn diagrams to describe the relationship between sets. This paper looks at a formal specification language used in software engineering called Z [1, 2] whose foundations are based on first-order predicate calculus and set theory. Z is often used for describing the properties of a system by structuring these properties into manageable constructs called schema. Each schema describes the system’s properties using mathematical expressions that are formed by mathematical symbols with special meanings together with conventional alphabets. Two basic forms of expressions can often be found in any Z specification, unary and binary expressions.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Preview
Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.
References
Spivey M. The Z notation: A reference manual. 2nd Edition, Prentice Hall, 1992
Diller AZ. - An introduction to formal methods. 2nd Edition John-Wiley & Sons, 1994
Lamport L. LATEX: A document preparation system; 2nd Edition, Addison-Wesley, 1994
Jordan D, McDermid L, Toyn I. CADiZ: Computer Aided Design in Z. In: Nicholls J (ed) Proc. of the 5th Annual Z User Meeting. Springer-Verlag 1991
Flynn M, Hoverd T, Brazier D. Formaliser: an interactive support tool for Z. In: Nicholls J (ed) Proc. of the 4th Annual Z User Meeting. Springer-Verlag, 1990
Yap CN, Holcombe M. Graphical Z specifications. In: Proc. PPIG’97, Psychology of Programming Interest Group, 9th Annual Workshop, Sheffield Hallam University, 1997.
Yap CN, Holcombe M. Using graphical icons to build Z specifications, In: Proceedings of the Northern Formal Methods Workshop, eWics (Electronic Workshops in Computer Science) series, Springer-Verlag, 1997.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 1999 Springer-Verlag London
About this paper
Cite this paper
Yap, C.N., Holcombe, M. (1999). A Visual Representation of Mathematical Expressions. In: Paton, R., Neilson, I. (eds) Visual Representations and Interpretations. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0563-3_40
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0563-3_40
Publisher Name: Springer, London
Print ISBN: 978-1-85233-082-8
Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-0563-3
eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive