WRITING SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS - AN ENGINEER'S VIEW.

Summary form only given, as follows. Engineers in traditional engineering disciplines have both the discipline and the mathematical tools to write down a precise specification of their product that is distinct from the design. Software engineers are not so equipped. The development of a program is usually done on the basis of either a vague description of requirements or a description of the programs' design. No true specification is written. Although computer scientists are working on 'pure' mathematical methods for software specifications, these have not proven practical for realistic problems. The author shows how traditional engineering mathematics can be used to provide specifications that are both precise and abstract.