Homework Assignments Week 2.5: Interpreters

Semantics

• What is the meaning of a program?
• Describe two approaches to define the semantics of programs in a language
• How are these approaches related?
• What does it mean for a compiler to be correct?
• How can we ensure that a compiler is correct?

DynSem

Consider the following DynSem rules:

rules
  If(BoolV(true), e1, _) --> e1.  
  If(BoolV(false), _, e2) --> e2.

• Explain what these rules mean using their explicated form
• Construct a program fragment AST that let’s an interpreter according to these rules get stuck
• How could the semantics be made more robust?

Partial Evaluation

• What is partial evaluation?
• Why would you want to use it?
• Give the three Futumara projections and explain their meaning