Proof by analogy in mural

Abstract

Abstract An important advantage of using a formal method of developing software is that one can prove that development steps are correct with respect to their specification. Conducting proofs by hand, however, can be time consuming to the extent that designers have to judge whether a proof of a particular obligation is worth conducting. Even if hand proofs are worth conducting, how do we know that they are correct? One approach to overcoming this problem is to use an automatic theorem proving system to develop and check our proofs. However, in order to enable present day theorem provers to check proofs, one has to conduct them in much more detail than hand proofs. Carrying out more detailed proofs is of course more time consuming. This paper describes the use of proof by analogy in an attempt to reduce the time spent on proofs. We develop and implement a proof follower based on analogy and present an example to illustrate its characteristics. The example shows that even when the follower fails to complete a proof, it can provide a hint that enables the user to complete a proof.