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Curry-Howard Correspondence

Foundational Concept

An observation, foundational to type theory, that a precise structural correspondence exists between logical proofs and computer programs, and between logical propositions and types, so that constructing a proof of a proposition corresponds exactly to writing a program of the matching type.

Facts
Origin Year
1934 1
Core Principle
A direct relationship between computer programs and mathematical proofs. 1
Connections

In Field

Invented

Haskell Curry observed the correspondence between combinatory logic and intuitionistic logic in the 1930s that gives the correspondence half its name.

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Curry-Howard correspondence
  • Origins section
    In 1934, Curry observes that the types of the combinators could be seen as axiom-schemes for intuitionistic implicational logic.
  • Lead, first sentence
    is a direct relationship between computer programs and mathematical proofs.
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