Probabilistic predicate transformers

  • Authors:
  • Carroll Morgan;Annabelle McIver;Karen Seidel

  • Affiliations:
  • Oxford University;Oxford University;Oxford University

  • Venue:
  • ACM Transactions on Programming Languages and Systems (TOPLAS)
  • Year:
  • 1996

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Abstract

Probabilistic predicates generalize standard predicates over a state space; with probabilistic predicate transformers one thus reasons about imperative programs in terms of probabilistic pre- and postconditions. Probabilistic healthiness conditions generalize the standard ones, characterizing “real” probabilistic programs, and are based on a connection with an underlying relational model for probabilistic execution; in both contexts demonic nondeterminism coexists with probabilistic choice. With the healthiness conditions, the associated weakest-precondition calculus seems suitable for exploring the rigorous derivation of small probabilistic programs.