## Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

BastiS
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### Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

I just reviewed the contents of last lecture and I do have a problem while finding the conclusion of this lecture.... (already had it during the lecture but hoped it's understandable when recapulating it):

On slide 18 it's written "Can we get rid of define?"

Then it's explained how to build recursion without "define" - as I understood the $$\equiv$$-construct right it's just used here to show that we don't define functions rather use them directly when needed. So we also have to type them multiple times because we don't have a name for them any longer. Am I right so far?

But then on page 27ff when fixpoint combinator was introduced, we use a define-construct again? So isn't it possible to get rid of define at all?

Would be very heldful to get an answer - maybe here or maybe in the final lecture.

sewe
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### Re: Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

So we also have to type them multiple times because we don't have a name for them any longer. Am I right so far?
No, not quite. We do have identifiers and function literals and function applications; thus, we can use the old with preprocessor trick to name things.

BastiS
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### Re: Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

Ah, ok - that's right, I've overseen this possibility. But what's about the define-thing?

sewe
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### Re: Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

Hm, if you want to know how to define a named, recursive function (what define allows us to do), it goes like this: first, use the Y-combinator to define make a recursive function and then name it with with; your named, recursive function is then available in the body of the with. But I am not sure whether I have understood your question correctly.

Pavel
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### Re: Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

I also have a question regarding this. I followed you until slide 23, but there I am stuck. So ≡ can be thought as a define without recursion, right?

How can we then get there:

Code: Alles auswählen

((lambda (mk-fact) (mk-fact mk-fact))
--- all open brackets closed here --
(lambda (f)
(lambda (n)
(if (zero? n)
1
(* n ((f f) (sub1 n)))))))

Did you probably mean:

Code: Alles auswählen

(define* fact (mk-fact mk-fact))
--- all open brackets closed here --
(define* (mk-fact f)
(lambda (f)
(lambda (n)
(if (zero? n)
1
(* n ((f f) (sub1 n)))))))

where define* would be ≡ ?

sewe
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### Re: Last Lecture (Lambda Calculus)

Yes, you can think of ≡ as define. It is, however, not part of our language, but rather a way for us to name expressions for the purpose of presentation. At any rate, the critical part is in line 2 of the following:

Code: Alles auswählen

((lambda (mk-fact) (mk-fact mk-fact))
--- all open brackets closed here --
(lambda (f)
(lambda (n)
(if (zero? n)
1
(* n ((f f) (sub1 n)))))))
Your statement, namely that all open brackets [are] closed here is not correct; the function mk-fact is ≡'ed in the upper part of slide 23 is used as an input to the following lambda:

Code: Alles auswählen

(lambda (mk-fact) (mk-fact mk-fact))
The overall expression would then be fact. That being said, your alternative interpretation does essentially do the same thing, but it defines names as well.