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Everything about Loop invariant

Invariants used to prove properties of loops

In computer science, a loop invariant is a property of a program loop that is true before each iteration. It is a logical assertion, sometimes checked with a code assertion. Knowing its invariant(s) is essential in understanding the effect of a loop. Wikipedia →

🧭 Start here: a 6-step reading path

  1. Read the overview: Loop invariantA 5-minute orientation
  2. Skim a recent paper: Homoclinic bifurcation near a loop tangent to an invariant straight lineInfluential work since 2022
  3. Pick up a classic book: How to Think About AlgorithmsThe most-reprinted book on the subject
  4. Read the landmark paper: Application of invariant renormalization to the non-linear chiral invariant pion Lagrangian in the one-loop approximationCited 114 times
  5. Go sideways: Whiley (programming language)A closely related topic
  6. Go sideways: DafnyA closely related topic

📖 Definitions

Noun an invariant that should be true on entry into a loop and is guaranteed to remain true on every iteration of the loop

🗂️ The subject at a glance

  1. Informal example
  2. Floyd–Hoare logic
  3. Programming language support
  4. Use of loop invariants
  5. Distinction from loop-invariant code

🏆 Landmark papers (most cited)

🆕 Influential since 2022

📚 Books worth reading

Ranked by number of editions on Open Library, a rough measure of how lasting a book is.

🔗 Related topics