A Theory of Applied Mind of Programming

Abstract

exists' leading to some confusion and carefully selected language. Is the notional machine a document or tool that someone creates? Is the notional machine implied in the combination of language and hardware specifications? Is there a mechanism for validating the definition of a notional machine against reality? The vagueness of the notional machine may be the reason that "Notional machines, code tracing, mental models and program visualization are often appear conflated in the literature at least to non-experts." (Dickson, Brown, & Becker, 2020, p. 164).