Proust: A Nano Proof Assistant

TL;DR

Proust is a minimal proof assistant built in Racket that helps students learn formal logic and proof development, aiming to demystify complex proof assistants and integrate logic into computer science education.

Contribution

It introduces a simple, educational proof assistant that combines practical proof development with theoretical foundations, bridging the gap between formal logic and computer science curricula.

Findings

Students can develop verified proofs with Proust.

Proust facilitates understanding of proof assistant machinery.

It integrates logic study with computer science education.

Abstract

Proust is a small Racket program offering rudimentary interactive assistance in the development of verified proofs for propositional and predicate logic. It is constructed in stages, some of which are done by students before using it to complete proof exercises, and in parallel with the study of its theoretical underpinnings, including elements of Martin-Lof type theory. The goal is twofold: to demystify some of the machinery behind full-featured proof assistants such as Coq and Agda, and to better integrate the study of formal logic with other core elements of an undergraduate computer science curriculum.