<strong>Application</strong>: <code>(M N)</code>
</blockquote>
-Some authors reserve the term "term" for just variables and abstracts. We won't participate in that convention; we'll probably just say "term" and "expression" indiscriminately for expressions of any of these three forms.
+Some authors reserve the term "term" for just variables and abstracts. We'll probably just say "term" and "expression" indiscriminately for expressions of any of these three forms.
Examples of expressions:
x
- (y x)
- (x x)
- (\x y)
- (\x x)
- (\x (\y x))
- (x (\x x))
- ((\x (x x)) (\x (x x)))
-The lambda calculus has an associated proof theory. For now, we can regard the proof theory as having just one rule, called the rule of **beta-reduction** or "beta-contraction". Suppose you have some expression of the form:
+The lambda calculus has an associated proof theory. For now, we can regard the
+proof theory as having just one rule, called the rule of **beta-reduction** or
+"beta-contraction". Suppose you have some expression of the form:
- ((\a M) N)
+ ((\ a M) N)
that is, an application of an abstract to some other expression. This compound form is called a **redex**, meaning it's a "beta-reducible expression." `(\a M)` is called the **head** of the redex; `N` is called the **argument**, and `M` is called the **body**.