Learning Foundations Beneath the Stars

TL;DR

This paper advocates for teaching foundational computer science concepts through core techniques and examples, using transitive closure as a case study to enhance understanding of computational thinking and proof strategies.

Contribution

It introduces a pedagogical approach emphasizing fundamental techniques and structures, demonstrated through the case study of transitive closure, to improve foundational learning in computer science education.

Findings

Elementary proofs effectively illustrate core techniques.

Connections between transitive closure, Kleene star, and closure operators are elucidated.

Proposed examples serve as practical tools for teaching foundational concepts.

Abstract

Foundations of computer science are a key area in theoretical research, one to which Stefano has made significant contributions, particularly from a logical and proof-theoretic perspective. Recently, we have been involved, with him, in teaching an introductory course on this topic, guided by the idea that understanding and writing ordinary, discursive proofs is a valuable skill for future programmers. This shared experience has inspired the pedagogical approach at the basis of this paper. Behind specific foundational topics in computer science lie core techniques that are best taught through examples. However, standard textbooks often do not place enough emphasis on these ubiquitous techniques and frequently lack examples that are directly relevant to informatics. We believe that highlighting fundamental techniques, rather than focusing solely on specific foundational topics, would offer significant pedagogical benefits for an introductory course. In this paper we propose transitive closure of relations as a case study supporting our approach. While all proofs are elementary, we claim that this is a suitable topic for putting to work paradigmatic notions -- intrinsically tied to computational thinking -- that can serve as structural anchors for a course in the foundations of computer science. In particular, we highlight the techniques employed in proofs, that constitute a comprehensive summary of those that are normally taught in an introductory logic course, and the abstract structures, that allow to connect transitive closure with Kleene star (via quantales) and closure operators (on complete lattices). We then outline a series of further examples that may be used, as in our case study on stars, as a hands-on approach to basic analytic skills to be learned in a course on the foundations of computing. -- To Stefano Berardi on the occasion of his birthday.