Reasoning algebraically about P-solvable loops

Abstract

We present a method for generating polynomial invariants for a subfamily of imperative loops operating on numbers, called the P-solvable loops. The method uses algorithmic combinatorics and algebraic techniques. The approach is shown to be complete for some special cases. By completeness we mean that it generates a set of polynomial invariants from which, under additional assumptions, any polynomial invariant can be derived. These techniques are implemented in a new software package Aligator written in Mathematica and successfully tried on many programs implementing interesting algorithms working on numbers. © 2008 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.