We consider the system rec.

  Alphabet:

    0 : [] --> nat 
    rec : [nat * a * nat -> a -> a] --> a 
    s : [nat] --> nat 

  Rules:

    rec(0, x, f) => x 
    rec(s(x), y, f) => f x rec(x, y, f) 

This AFS is converted to an AFSM simply by replacing all free variables by meta-variables (with arity 0).

We use the dependency pair framework as described in [Kop12, Ch. 6/7], with static dependency pairs (see [KusIsoSakBla09] and the adaptation for AFSMs and accessible arguments in [FuhKop19]).

We thus obtain the following dependency pair problem (P_0, R_0, computable, formative):

  Dependency Pairs P_0:

    0] rec#(s(X), Y, F) =#> rec#(X, Y, F)   

  Rules R_0:

    rec(0, X, F) => X 
    rec(s(X), Y, F) => F X rec(X, Y, F) 

Thus, the original system is terminating if (P_0, R_0, computable, formative) is finite.

We consider the dependency pair problem (P_0, R_0, computable, formative).

We apply the subterm criterion with the following projection function:

  nu(rec#) = 1 

Thus, we can orient the dependency pairs as follows:

  nu(rec#(s(X), Y, F)) = s(X) |> X = nu(rec#(X, Y, F)) 

By [FuhKop19, Thm. 61], we may replace a dependency pair problem (P_0, R_0, computable, f) by ({}, R_0, computable, f).  By the empty set processor [Kop12, Thm. 7.15] this problem may be immediately removed.

As all dependency pair problems were succesfully simplified with sound (and complete) processors until nothing remained, we conclude termination.


+++ Citations +++

[FuhKop19]  C. Fuhs, and C. Kop.  A static higher-order dependency pair framework.  In Proceedings of ESOP 2019, 2019.
[Kop12]  C. Kop.  Higher Order Termination.  PhD Thesis, 2012.
[KusIsoSakBla09]  K. Kusakari, Y. Isogai, M. Sakai, and F. Blanqui.  Static Dependency Pair Method Based On Strong Computability for Higher-Order Rewrite Systems.  In volume 92(10) of IEICE Transactions on Information and Systems.  2007--2015, 2009.