Abstract: A method is specified for determining the quality of a quantity of properties describing a machine, including a step for determining the existence of at least one sub-quantity of interrelated properties (P0, P1, . . . Pn) of the form Pi=(forall t. Ai(t)=>Zi(t)), wherein Ai(t) present an initial state and Zi(t) a target state for a corresponding property and at least one initial state Ai is dependant on internal signals and including a step for checking whether at least one aspect of the input/output behaviour of the machine described by the properties, which cannot be derived from an individual property Pi, is described to such an accurate extent that one property Q exists, which represents this aspect without being dependant on the internal signals. The procedure is capable of providing a measurement and can particularly be used in the verification and specification of circuits.

Abstract: For the simplified creation of models of a circuit for the formal verification of the same, it is proposed to provide a valid first model (a) for example from a simulation of the circuit (2) and to generalize this valid first model through modification (3), whereby after the modification it is checked whether the modified model still describes an actual behavior of the circuit (4). In this case, the modified model is provided as a model of the circuit for the formal verification of the same (5).