Formal Specification

• A specification is a statement of requirements for a system, object or process.
• A formal specification is one in which the language of mathematics is used to construct such a statement.
• Z is a formal specification language based on set theory and logic.
• In a Z specification, discrete mathematical structures are used to create a model of the required system.
• Predicate logic is used to state precisely the required relationships between the mathematical structures, thus defining the set of possible valid states for the system.
• The math structures are more abstract and problem oriented compared to the data structures used in programming languages.