A Proposal for Research in Testing

这项研究的主要目标是构建一种测试理论，以引导对程序的可证性陈述。这一理论表明，测试可以“证明”某些程序是没有错误的。这一理论所适用的课程类别包括许多重要的课程。然而，该理论并不能提供绝对的正确性。它确实证明了计算以一定的概率是正确的。由于这一概率可以尽可能地接近L，这就足以达到实际目的。值得注意的是，这一概率不是经验性的陈述：它是关于数学的严格陈述。

The main goal of the research is to construct a theory of testing that leads to provable statements about programs. This theory shows that testing can "prove" that certain programs are error-free. The class of programs that this theory applies to includes a number of important programs. However, the theory does not provide absolute correctness. It does prove that a computation is correct with a certain probability. Since this probability can be made as close to l as desired, this suffices for practical purposes. It is important to note that this probability is not an empirical statement: it is a rigorous statement about mathematics.