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ICFP 2018
Sun 23 - Sat 29 September 2018 St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Mon 24 Sep 2018 17:25 - 17:47 at Stifel Theatre - Probabilistic Programming and Learning Chair(s): Michael Sperber

We present a complete reasoning principle for contextual equivalence in an untyped probabilistic language. The language includes continuous (real-valued) random variables, conditionals, and scoring. It also includes recursion, since the standard call-by-value fixpoint combinator is expressible.

We demonstrate the usability of our characterization by proving several equivalence schemas, including familiar facts from lambda calculus as well as results specific to probabilistic programming. In particular, we use it to prove that reordering the random draws in a probabilistic program preserves contextual equivalence. This allows us to show, for example, that

(let x = e1 in let y = e2 in e3) = (let y = e2 in let x = e1 in e3)

(provided $x$ does not occur free in $e_2$ and $y$ does not occur free in $e_1$) despite the fact that $e_1$ and $e_2$ may have sampling and scoring effects.

Mon 24 Sep

Displayed time zone: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey change

16:40 - 18:10
Probabilistic Programming and LearningResearch Papers at Stifel Theatre
Chair(s): Michael Sperber Active Group GmbH
16:40
22m
Talk
The Simple Essence of Automatic DifferentiationDistinguished Paper
Research Papers
Conal Elliott Target, USA
DOI
17:02
22m
Talk
Functional Programming for Modular Bayesian Inference
Research Papers
Adam Ścibior University of Cambridge and MPI Tuebingen, Ohad Kammar University of Oxford, Zoubin Ghahramani University of Cambridge
DOI
17:25
22m
Talk
Contextual Equivalence for a Probabilistic Language with Continuous Random Variables and Recursion
Research Papers
Mitchell Wand Northeastern University, USA, Ryan Culpepper Czech Technical University, Theophilos Giannakopoulos BAE Systems, Inc., Andrew Cobb Northeastern University
DOI
17:47
22m
Talk
Teaching How to Program using Automated Assessment and Functional Glossy Games (Experience Report)
Research Papers
José Bacelar Almeira University of Minho & INESC TEC, Alcino Cunha University of Minho and INESC TEC, Portugal, Nuno Macedo University of Minho & INESC TEC, Hugo Pacheco University of Minho, Portugal, José Proença HASLab/INESC TEC & University of Minho
DOI