We consider the system h59. Alphabet: 0 : [] --> nat rec : [] --> nat -> a -> (nat -> a -> a) -> a s : [] --> nat -> nat Rules: rec 0 x (/\y./\z.f y z) => x rec (s x) y (/\z./\u.f z u) => f x (rec x y (/\v./\w.f v w)) Using the transformations described in [Kop11], this system can be brought in a form without leading free variables in the left-hand side, and where the left-hand side of a variable is always a functional term or application headed by a functional term. We now transform the resulting AFS into an AFSM by replacing all free variables by meta-variables (with arity 0). This leads to the following AFSM: Alphabet: 0 : [] --> nat rec : [nat * a * nat -> a -> a] --> a s : [nat] --> nat ~AP1 : [nat -> a -> a * nat] --> a -> a Rules: rec(0, X, /\x./\y.~AP1(F, x) y) => X rec(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.~AP1(F, x) y) => ~AP1(F, X) rec(X, Y, /\z./\u.~AP1(F, z) u) ~AP1(F, X) => F X Symbol ~AP1 is an encoding for application that is only used in innocuous ways. We can simplify the program (without losing non-termination) by removing it. This gives: Alphabet: 0 : [] --> nat rec : [nat * a * nat -> a -> a] --> a s : [nat] --> nat Rules: rec(0, X, /\x./\y.Y(x, y)) => X rec(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) => Z(X, rec(X, Y, /\z./\u.Z(z, u))) We use rule removal, following [Kop12, Theorem 2.23]. This gives the following requirements (possibly using Theorems 2.25 and 2.26 in [Kop12]): rec(0, X, /\x./\y.Y(x, y)) >? X rec(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) >? Z(X, rec(X, Y, /\z./\u.Z(z, u))) We use a recursive path ordering as defined in [Kop12, Chapter 5]. We choose Lex = {} and Mul = {0, rec, s}, and the following precedence: 0 > rec > s With these choices, we have: 1] rec(0, X, /\x./\y.Y(x, y)) >= X because [2], by (Star) 2] rec*(0, X, /\x./\y.Y(x, y)) >= X because [3], by (Select) 3] X >= X by (Meta) 4] rec(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) > Z(X, rec(X, Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y))) because [5], by definition 5] rec*(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) >= Z(X, rec(X, Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y))) because [6], by (Select) 6] Z(rec*(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)), rec*(s(X), Y, /\z./\u.Z(z, u))) >= Z(X, rec(X, Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y))) because [7] and [11], by (Meta) 7] rec*(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) >= X because [8], by (Select) 8] s(X) >= X because [9], by (Star) 9] s*(X) >= X because [10], by (Select) 10] X >= X by (Meta) 11] rec*(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) >= rec(X, Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) because rec in Mul, [12], [14] and [15], by (Stat) 12] s(X) > X because [13], by definition 13] s*(X) >= X because [10], by (Select) 14] Y >= Y by (Meta) 15] /\x./\z.Z(x, z) >= /\x./\z.Z(x, z) because [16], by (Abs) 16] /\z.Z(y, z) >= /\z.Z(y, z) because [17], by (Abs) 17] Z(y, x) >= Z(y, x) because [18] and [19], by (Meta) 18] y >= y by (Var) 19] x >= x by (Var) We can thus remove the following rules: rec(s(X), Y, /\x./\y.Z(x, y)) => Z(X, rec(X, Y, /\z./\u.Z(z, u))) We use rule removal, following [Kop12, Theorem 2.23]. This gives the following requirements (possibly using Theorems 2.25 and 2.26 in [Kop12]): rec(0, X, /\x./\y.Y(x, y)) >? X We orient these requirements with a polynomial interpretation in the natural numbers. The following interpretation satisfies the requirements: 0 = 3 rec = \y0y1G2.3 + y0 + y1 + G2(0,0) Using this interpretation, the requirements translate to: [[rec(0, _x0, /\x./\y._x1(x, y))]] = 6 + x0 + F1(0,0) > x0 = [[_x0]] We can thus remove the following rules: rec(0, X, /\x./\y.Y(x, y)) => X All rules were succesfully removed. Thus, termination of the original system has been reduced to termination of the beta-rule, which is well-known to hold. +++ Citations +++ [Kop11] C. Kop. Simplifying Algebraic Functional Systems. In Proceedings of CAI 2011, volume 6742 of LNCS. 201--215, Springer, 2011. [Kop12] C. Kop. Higher Order Termination. PhD Thesis, 2012.