Introduction to Kleene Algebra

Catalog description

Kleene algebra is the algebra of regular expressions and finite automata, structures of fundamental importance in computer science. Kleene algebra is the algebraic theory of these objects, although it has many other natural and useful interpretations: relational algebra, programming language semantics, program logics, automata and formal languages, network programming, computational geometry, and the design and analysis of algorithms. In this course we will explore the theory and applications of this system, including models, deductive systems, completeness and complexity results, and applications in the areas mentioned above. A final paper or project will be due on which the course grade will be based. It will be either an independent study with a final paper and presentation, or a software project and presentation, at the students' choice.