Bounded Rewriting Induction for LCSTRSs

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Authors: Kasper Hagens, Cynthia Kop
Cited by: 0

Abstract

Rewriting Induction (RI) is a method to prove inductive theorems, originating from equational reasoning. By using Logically Constrained Simply-typed Term Rewriting Systems (LCSTRSs) as an intermediate language, rewriting induction becomes a tool for program verification, with inductive theorems taking the role of equivalence predicates. Soundness of RI depends on well-founded induction, and one of the core obstacles for obtaining a practically useful proof system is to find suitable well-founded orderings automatically. Using naive approaches, all induction hypotheses must be oriented within the well-founded ordering, which leads to very strong termination requirements. This, in turn, severely limits the proof capacity of RI. Here, we introduce Bounded RI: an adaption of RI for LCSTRSs where such termination requirements are minimized.

Fields of Study & Subjects

Logic programming and type systems Formal Methods in Verification Reasoning and Knowledge

Publication details

Journal / source
arXiv (Cornell University)
Publication date
6 January 2026
Document type
Preprint