Eric Hehner

Eric C. R. Hehner
Born	16 September 1947 (age 69) Ottawa, Ontario
Nationality	Canadian
Fields	Formal methods, Programming
Institutions	University of Toronto
Alma mater	Carleton University, University of Toronto
Influenced	Tony Hoare

Eric C. R. Hehner, called Rick, is a Canadian computer scientist.

Eric Hehner was born on 16 September 1947 in Ottawa. He studied mathematics and physics at Carleton University, obtaining his first degree in 1969. He gained a PhD in computer science from the University of Toronto in 1974. He then joined the faculty there, becoming a full professor in 1983. He became the Bell University Chair in Software Engineering in 2001.

Hehner's main research area is formal methods, particularly for programming. In 1979, Hehner invented a method of representing rational numbers with current University of Victoria professor Nigel Horspool called quote notation, which allows for easier arithmetic and produces no roundoff error in arithmetic calculations implementing a generalization of radix notation. Hehner has also influenced many other computer science researchers with his ideas, including Tony Hoare, especially with his concept of predicative programming.

References

• E. C. R. Hehner, 1984. Predicative Programming. CACM, 27(2):134–151.
• E. C. R. Hehner, 1990. A Practical Theory of Programming. Science of Computer Programming, 14(2–3):133–158.
• E. C. R. Hehner, 2004. From Boolean Algebra to Unified Algebra. Mathematical Intelligencer, 26(2):3–19.
• "A new representation of the rational numbers for fast easy arithmetic", E.C.R. Hehner and R.N.S. Horspool

External links

• Home page
• DBLP publications
• A Practical Theory of Programming, Professor Hehner's book, freely available in PDF