X-Git-Url: http://lambda.jimpryor.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=lambda.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=topics%2F_week5_system_F.mdwn;h=f75370908dfe78fb0f081af4b6cbb074402e27b4;hp=ae0b7e056f75c12f353d55a2a6b9ceca22759dea;hb=9873c23f4967dc8a1dc03bd57a20bf73db1ac721;hpb=b895ad012c22442151800347864a4b3f84f6de84 diff --git a/topics/_week5_system_F.mdwn b/topics/_week5_system_F.mdwn index ae0b7e05..f7537090 100644 --- a/topics/_week5_system_F.mdwn +++ b/topics/_week5_system_F.mdwn @@ -34,8 +34,7 @@ notational convention (which will last throughout the rest of the course) that "x:α" represents an expression `x` whose type is α. -Then System F can be specified as follows (choosing notation that will -match up with usage in O'Caml, whose type system is based on System F): +Then System F can be specified as follows: System F: --------- @@ -47,7 +46,7 @@ constants play the role in System F that base types play in the simply-typed lambda calculus. So in a lingusitics context, type constants might include `e` and `t`. "α" is a type variable. The tick mark just indicates that the variable ranges over types rather -than over values; in various discussion below and later, type variable +than over values; in various discussion below and later, type variables can be distinguished by using letters from the greek alphabet (α, β, etc.), or by using capital roman letters (X, Y, etc.). "`τ1 -> τ2`" is the type of a function from expressions of @@ -57,7 +56,7 @@ universal type, since it universally quantifies over the type variable have at least one free occurrence of `α` somewhere inside of it. In the definition of the expressions, we have variables "`x`" as usual. -Abstracts "`λx:τ. e`" are similar to abstracts in the simply-typed lambda +Abstracts "`λx:τ.e`" are similar to abstracts in the simply-typed lambda calculus, except that they have their shrug variable annotated with a type. Applications "`e1 e2`" are just like in the simply-typed lambda calculus. @@ -117,15 +116,15 @@ however. Here is one way, coded in System F|http://www.cis.upenn.edu/~bcpierce/tapl/index.html]] (the relevant evaluator is called "fullpoly"): - N = ∀α. (α->α)->α->α; - Pair = (N->N->N) -> N; - let zero = Λα. λs:α->α . λz:α. z in - let fst = λx:N. λy:N . x in - let snd = λx:N. λy:N . y in - let pair = λx:N. λy:N . λz:N->N->N . z x y in - let suc = λn:N. λα . λlambda s:α->α . λz:α. s (n [α] s z) in - let shift = λp:Pair. pair (suc (p fst)) (p fst) in - let pre = λn:N. n [Pair] shift (pair zero zero) snd in + N = ∀α.(α->α)->α->α; + Pair = (N->N->N)->N; + let zero = Λα.λs:α->α.λz:α.z in + let fst = λx:N.λy:N.x in + let snd = λx:N.λy:N.y in + let pair = λx:N.λy:N.λz:N->N->N.z x y in + let suc = λn:N.λα.λs:α->α.λz:α.s (n [α] s z) in + let shift = λp:Pair.pair (suc (p fst)) (p fst) in + let pre = λn:N.n [Pair] shift (pair zero zero) snd in pre (suc (suc (suc zero))); @@ -138,7 +137,7 @@ lambda). The key to the extra expressive power provided by System F is evident in the typing imposed by the definition of `pre`. The variable `n` is -typed as a Church number, i.e., as `∀ α . (α->α)->α->α`. The type +typed as a Church number, i.e., as `∀α.(α->α)->α->α`. The type application `n [Pair]` instantiates `n` in a way that allows it to manipulate ordered pairs: `n [Pair]: (Pair->Pair)->Pair->Pair`. In other words, the instantiation turns a Church number into a @@ -165,14 +164,14 @@ Typing ω In fact, unlike in the simply-typed lambda calculus, it is even possible to give a type for ω in System F. -ω = λlambda x:(∀ α. α->α) . x [∀ α . α->α] x +ω = λx:(∀α.α->α).x [∀α.α->α] x In order to see how this works, we'll apply ω to the identity function. ω id == - (λx:(∀α. α->α) . x [∀α.α->α] x) (Λα.λx:α. x) + (λx:(∀α.α->α). x [∀α.α->α] x) (Λα.λx:α.x) Since the type of the identity function is `∀α.α->α`, it's the right type to serve as the argument to ω. The definition of