A Package For Inductive Relation Definitions In HOL

Abstract

This paper describes a set of theorem proving tools based on a new derived principle of definition in HOL, namely the introduction of relations inductively defined by a set of rules. Such inductive definitions abound an computer science. Example application areas include reasoning about structured operational semantics, type judgements, transition relations for process algebras, reduction relations, and compositional proof systems. The package described in this paper automates the derivation of certain inductive definitions involved in these applications and provides the basic tools needed for reasoning about the relations introduced by them.