Algebraic semantics (computer science)

Algebraic semantics is how computers understand and analyze the meaning of programming languages.

Think of it this way: when you talk to a friend, you use words to express your thoughts and ideas. Similarly, when we write code, we use a programming language to convey our thoughts and ideas to the computer.

But how does the computer know what we mean? That’s where algebraic semantics comes in.

Just like we have rules for how words can be combined to form sentences, there are rules for how programming language statements can be combined to form programs. Algebraic semantics uses mathematical equations to describe the relationships between the statements in a program.

By understanding these equations, the computer can interpret what the programmer meant and execute the program correctly.

So, algebraic semantics is like a code language for computers to understand and analyze programming languages. It helps computers interpret what we want them to do by using mathematical rules to describe how different parts of a program fit together.