Animating the Link Between Operational Semantics and Algebraic Semantics for a Probabilistic Timed Shared-Variable Language

Abstract

Complex software systems typically involve features like time, concurrency and probability, where probabilistic computations play an increasing role. It is challenging to formalize languages comprising all these features. We have integrated probability, time and concurrency in one single model (called PTSC), where the concurrency feature is modelled using shared-variable based communication. Meanwhile, we have also explored the link between the operational semantics and algebraic semantics, where our approach was started from algebraic laws via head normal form. This paper considers the animation of the link between operational semantics and algebraic semantics for PTSC. Our approach is by using Prolog as the development language. Firstly we explore the animation of the operational semantics for PTSC. The link of the two semantics is proceeded via the concept of head normal form. Secondly the generation of head normal form is explored, especially the animation of parallel expansion laws. Finally we consider the animation of deriving operational semantics by a provided derivation strategy via head normal form. The results animated from the first and the third exploration indicate that our operational semantics is sound and complete with respect to head normal form (or algebraic laws in general).