[plt-scheme] HTDP 21.1.2

From: wooks . (wookiz at hotmail.com)
Date: Tue Jul 11 08:58:09 EDT 2006

I'd already done what you had sugested before posting and got


(define (myMap f lon)
  (cons (fold empty f lon)
        (cons (fold empty f (rest lon)))))

which doesn't work.

So  lets back up a bit.

fold is a reducing function - produces a consolidated value from multiple 
inputs (eg list).

map is a one to one function.

So there is a mismatch at contract level  (hence why methinksh trick 
question) .



----Original Message Follows----
From: Richard Cobbe <cobbe at ccs.neu.edu>
To: plt-scheme at list.cs.brown.edu
Subject: Re: [plt-scheme] HTDP 21.1.2
Date: Mon, 10 Jul 2006 12:20:34 -0400

On Mon, Jul 10, 2006 at 05:05:43PM +0100, wooks . wrote:
 >
 > http://www.htdp.org/2003-09-26/Book/curriculum-Z-H-27.html#node_sec_21.1
 >
 > OK I'm flummoxed on the bit that asks you to use map to define fold.
                                                    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Based on the rest of your question, it looks like you understand this,
but just to be sure we're all on the same page, 21.1.2 asks you to use
fold to define map, not the other way around.

 > (define (fold baseCase op alon)
 >  (cond
 >    [(empty? alon) baseCase]
 >    [else (op (first alon)
 > 	     (fold baseCase op (rest alon)))]))
 >
 > (define (sum alon)
 >  (fold 0 + alon))
 > (define (prod alon)
 >  (fold 1 * alon))

That's correct.  (BTW, it's conventional to define fold with op as the
first argument rather than base-case, but that's a minor issue.)

 > All good .... the append using fold was pretty straightforward but if I
 > want to map square on to a list
 >
 > (define (square n) (* n n))
 >
 > (myMap square (list 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16))
 >
 > I don't see how this can be done with fold.... is this a trick part of 
the
 > question...(I suspect not).

No, it's not a trick, though it is more challenging than using fold to
define sum or product.  One can certainly define map in terms of fold.

Here's a suggestion: write down the original definition of sum on paper
(or print it out).  Circle the parts of the definition that you turned
into additional parameters when you abstracted sum and product into
fold.

Now, think about editing the definition of sum to change it into the
definition of map.  What changes do you need to make?  If your
definition of fold is correct (that is, if it's sufficiently general),
then all of those changes should be inside the circles that you drew in
the previous paragraph.  Once you've made those changes, that should
give you a clue.

Richard
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