John Pfaltz, Professor
``Discrete systems are dynamic, but how do we describe such change?
The calculus doesn't help us here''.
``If a function is continuous, similar inputs are mapped
to similar outputs; why do we not ask if procedures are continuous?''
``In scientific database applications it is more important
to be able to modify the structure of the database than the data itself.''
Office: 203 Reid Hall
Office Phone: (804) 982-2222
E-mail: pfaltz@virginia.edu
US Mail:
Department of
Computer Science
Thornton Hall
University of Virginia,
Charlottesville, VA 22903
USA
Current Research:
Our current emphasis is on closure systems and their
applications to computer science.
These closure systems provide a formal mechanism for studying the nature of
discrete systems which are the ``stuff'' of computer science and many
other empirical scieces.
Moreover, they permit the definition of complete and closed
functions on discrete systems, which appear to fill the role of ``continuous''
functions over continuous manifolds.
The ADAMS database language represents earlier research,
but it is no longer an active program.
The implemented system is rather unique, and and its suffix based notation
has been carried over into our theoretial research.
Even though we are not expanding the ADAMS program, it has aspects that are
well worth examining.
We will provide source code to those interested in implementing this object
oriented database system.