Using function abstraction to understand program behavior

Abstract

The authors explain how to understand programs by abstracting program function. This abstraction is made possible by the algebraic structure and mathematical properties of structured programs. They describe an abstraction algorithm that provides a basis for a tool for automatic abstraction of program functions. They also explore what the goals of a program-abstraction tool should be. A miniature Cobol program for a banking application is used as an example.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>