X-Git-Url: http://lambda.jimpryor.net/git/gitweb.cgi?p=lambda.git;a=blobdiff_plain;f=topics%2Fweek1_advanced_notes.mdwn;h=c5e589f23c678f7f54173ec964d7d641ae4aafdf;hp=613cd451e961a3456c223295361cf538e570f92d;hb=371a6b4c34bee27aa68aed46855ff775114748be;hpb=1c0cc2347294f30ca830e4a3eb7597c70f52b669 diff --git a/topics/week1_advanced_notes.mdwn b/topics/week1_advanced_notes.mdwn index 613cd451..c5e589f2 100644 --- a/topics/week1_advanced_notes.mdwn +++ b/topics/week1_advanced_notes.mdwn @@ -190,21 +190,25 @@ or like this: lambda (x, y). x + y -They permit you to appreviate the first λ-expression as simply `(10 - )`. We know there's an argument missing, because the infix operator `-` demands two arguments, but we've only supplied one. So `(10 - )` expresses a function that takes an argument `x` and evaluates to `10 - x`. In other words, it expresses λ`x. 10 - x`.Similarly, `( & ys)` expresses a function that takes an argument `x` and evaluates to `x & ys`. +They permit you to appreviate the first λ-expression as simply `(10 - )`. We know there's an argument missing, because the infix operator `-` demands two arguments, but we've only supplied one. So `(10 - )` expresses a function that takes an argument `x` and evaluates to `10 - x`. In other words, it expresses λ`x. 10 - x`. Similarly, `( & ys)` expresses a function that takes an argument `x` and evaluates to `x & ys`. -All of this only works with infix operators like `-`, `&` and `+`. You can't write `1 swap` or `swap 1` to mean λ`x. (1, x)`. +All of this only works with infix operators like `-`, `&` and `+`. You can't write `(1 swap)` or `(swap 1)` to mean λ`x. swap (1, x)`. Can you guess what our shortcut for the last function will be? It's `( + )`. That expresses a function that takes two arguments `(x, y)` and evaluates to `x + y`. -Wait a second, you say. Isn't that just what `+` does *already*? Why am I making a distinction between `+` and `(+)`? The difference is that bare `+` without any parentheses is an *infix* operator that comes between its arguments. Whereas when we wrap it with parentheses, it loses its special infix syntax and then just behaves like a plain variable denoting a function, like `swap`. Thus whereas we write: +Wait a second, you say. Isn't that just what `+` does *already*? Why am I making a distinction between `+` and `( + )`? The difference is that bare `+` without any parentheses is an *infix* operator that comes between its arguments. Whereas when we wrap it with parentheses, it loses its special infix syntax and then just behaves like a plain variable denoting a function, like `swap`. Thus whereas we write: x + y -if we want to instead use `( + )`, we have to instead write: +if we want to use `( + )`, we have to instead write: - (+) (x, y) + ( + ) (x, y) -Confession: actually, what I described here diverges a *tiny* bit from what OCaml and Haskell do. They wouldn't really write `(+) (x, y)` like I just did. Instead they'd write `(+) x y`. We will look at the difference between these next week. +It may not be obvious now why this would ever be useful, but sometimes it will be. + +All of these shorthands `(10 - )`, `( & ys)` and `( + )` are called "sections". I don't know exactly why. + +Confession: actually, what I described here diverges *a bit* from how OCaml and Haskell treat `( + )`. They wouldn't really write `( + ) (x, y)` like I did. Instead they'd write `( + ) x y`. We will look at the difference between these next week.