2022/02/14 by Linpeng Zhang, Benjamin Lucien Kaminski, Zhang, Linpeng +1
Computer Science · #Cryptography and Security (cs.CR) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Formal Methods in Verification #Logic in Computer Science (cs.LO) #Logic, Reasoning, and Knowledge #Logic, programming, and type systems #Programming Languages (cs.PL) #cs.CR #cs.LO #cs.PL
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2202.06765
Full version of a conference paper presented at OOPSLA 2022
arxiv created 2022/02/14 · openalex publication_date 2022/02/14 · arxiv updated 2022/02/24 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
We present a novel strongest-postcondition-style calculus for quantitative reasoning about non-deterministic programs with loops. Whereas existing quantitative weakest pre allows reasoning about the value of a quantity after a program terminates on a given initial state, quantitative strongest post allows reasoning about the value that a quantity had before the program was executed and reached a given final state. We show how strongest post enables reasoning about the flow of quantitative information through programs. Similarly to weakest liberal preconditions, we also develop a quantitative strongest liberal post. As a byproduct, we obtain the entirely unexplored notion of strongest liberal postconditions and show how these foreshadow a potential new program logic - partial incorrectness logic - which would be a more liberal version of O'Hearn's recent incorrectness logic.