Abstract:
The initial-algebra approach to modelling datatypes consists of giving constructors
for building larger objects of that type from smaller ones, and laws identifying different ways
of constructing the same object. The recursive decomposition of objects of the datatype leads
directly to a recursive pattern of computation on those objects, which is very helpful for both
functional and parallel programming.
We show how to model a particular kind of directed acyclic graph using this initial-algebra
approach.
