Calculation in the Informatic Jungle

TR-2011-147, Author: Søren Debois

Calculation in the Informatic Jungle

Søren Debois

December 2011

Abstract

Informatics bridges Turing-computation and interactive behaviour; examples of the latter include ubiquitous/pervasive and biological systems. But how does a model of computation fit within a model of less disciplined informatic behaviour? This paper offers a precise treatment of that relationship, identifying a class of calculational bigraphical reactive systems. We show how such a system contains a confluent calculation sub-model, and how calculation only ever enables, never prevents, informatic behaviour of the larger model. We submit these results as a modest but essential beginning of a unified informatic theory.

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Technical report TR-2011-147  in IT University Technical Report Series, December 2011

Available as PDF.