Formal Verification
Formal verification uses mathematical methods to prove that a program satisfies its specification, providing stronger correctness guarantees than testing.
Purpose
Provide mathematical correctness proofs for safety-critical systems, eliminating whole classes of defects.
Mechanism
Methods: theorem proving (Coq/Isabelle), model checking, and abstract interpretation. Requires a formal specification (pre/postconditions, invariants). Proves the program satisfies the specification. Costly, but used in aerospace, kernels, and cryptography.
Use cases
- Safety-critical software
- Kernel verification
- Cryptographic proofs