Language Definition for a Notation of Computational Problems

Computer applications, by definition, are collections of algorithms, ranging from simple iterative loops, to more sophisticated control structures; together these algorithms enable the macro-scale functionality desired by a programmer. Any algorithm, however, describes one specific method for solving a given computational problem (CP). CPs can typically be solved by a variety of different algorithms, and each algorithm can be implemented and optimized in a variety of ways.
This document describes NCP, a notation to capture the semantic properties of computational problems, independent of algorithms. NCP descriptions can be compiled down to machine-readable forms including the Sal/Svm set-theoretic machine representation, and are intended to facilitate a variety of research efforts, ranging from serving as a source language for program synthesis, to serving as a descriptive program annotation in applications of algorithmic choice and replacement.

By: R. Jongerius, P. Stanley-Marbell

Published in: RZ3828 in 2012

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