Lecture Edsger Dijkstra at CWI

On Tuesday, October 10, 2000, the famous Edsger Dijkstra gave a lecture at CWI, entitled: 'On avoiding avoidable case analyses'. Turing Award winner Prof. dr. Dijkstra is Professor Emeritus of the University of Texas at Austin. In the list of most cited Dutch computer scientists on the Web, Dijkstra holds the second place.

Publication date
5 October 2000
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Abstract 

On avoiding avoidable case analyses

Since brevity is an essential virtue of proofs and programs (and will always be so) and case analyses tend to lengthen them, avoiding case analysis is (and will remain) a central issue in mathematical methodology and the methodology of programming. With a series of small examples we’ll illustrate various techniques for case analysis reduction. They should make us understand why counting arguments can be so effective and why they are applicable.

 

Edsger Dijkstra (in the middle) at CWI in 2000, together with Krzysztof Apt (left) and CWI director at the time Gerard van Oortmerssen. (Photo: CWI/Annette Kik.)
Edsger Dijkstra (in the middle) at CWI in 2000, together with Krzysztof Apt (left) and CWI director at the time Gerard van Oortmerssen. CWI Fellow Krzysztof Apt is co-editor of the later book on Dijkstra’s work and life. (Photo: CWI/Annette Kik.)

Header picture: E.W. Dijkstra during his much earlier lecture at the XIVth Netherlands Mathematical Congress, Amsterdam, 1978.