►Proving Properties of Programs with Mechanized Logic
1 When and Where
2 What
3 How
4 Grades
5 Academic Integrity
6 Schedule (that will be revised as we go)

Proving Properties of Programs with Mechanized Logic🔗

Robby Findler

1 When and Where🔗

We meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11am to 12:20pm in Tech L361. The Schedule (that will be revised as we go) provides more details for each meeting.

Use Piazza for discussion about the class (signup link); grades and assignment submission are in Canvas.

Attendance in class is mandatory and will be checked.

You are expected to check piazza at least once per day during the week.

2 What🔗

In this class we will explore properties that programs can have, first focusing on stating them in a precise and checkable way. As we start, we will be limited to testing only a subset of the possible inputs.

As the quarter progresses, we will explore how to prove programs correct using Agda, guaranteeing the properties for all possible inputs. We will be using Aaron Stump’s Book, Verified Functional Programming in Agda. Access the link while on campus to download a PDF free of charge.

3 How🔗

You will be expected to solve smaller homework assignments that test your understanding of the concepts and then complete two larger homework assignments, one where you demonstrate your ability to use random testing (closer to the start of the quarter) and one where you demonstrate your ability to state and prove a property of a (small) program (at the end of the quarter). The final assignment will be due during the last week of class.

You will need to use some specific software to solve homework assignments in this course:

  • Racket: It is easy to install, follow the instructions on the website.

  • Agda:

    Agda is less easy to install. I had success using the Haskell Platform and installing Agda via slack (a haskell package manager); I’ve also had success using the brew-based instructions on the Agda website. In case you run into trouble, we’ve built a virtual machine with Agda 2.6.1 already installed that you should be able to use via VirtualBox, or possibly other virtual machine software. To login, use the userid ial and with the password ial.

    Under macOS, the Terminal app seems to capture important keystrokes without passing them on to the running process (notably c-. and c-,). To avoid this program, use the Emacs GUI App instead.

    Note that the VM has Agda 2.6.1 and my machine has Agda 2.6.4 installed; hopefully both versions will be fine with all the code we’ll use this quarter but if you notice a discrepancy, please let me know.

  • Iowa Agda Library: this is also already installed on the VM.

4 Grades🔗

The homework assignments with numbers in their names are worth 20% of your final grade. They are designed for you to practice what you are learning in class.

Your attendance is worth another 10% of your grade. You will get one point for each time you attend class and will receive full credit if you attend 17 of the 19 classes.

The remainder of your grade is split equally between the two homework assignments with letters in their names (Homework A and Homework B). These are more mini-projects where you demonstrate you’ve mastered that part of the material. These are more in depth than the numbered homework but are still doable in a week.

5 Academic Integrity🔗

All work that you do must be entirely your own. Help from the course staff is allowed, but no help from anyone else, including AI systems like ChatGPT. If you do get help from some source that is not part of the course staff, you must name that person or thing that helped you.

Hew to the Provost’s Eight Cardinal Rules of Academic Integrity.

6 Schedule (that will be revised as we go)🔗

When

 

What

 

Homework

 

Week 1

Thu 4/3

 

1: Introduction & our First Properties

 

 

Week 2

Tue 4/8

 

2: Contracts

 

 

Week 3

 

Week 4

 

Week 5

 

Week 6

 

Week 7

 

Week 8

 

Week 9

 

Week 10

 

Week 11