[plt-scheme] Re: [Haskell-cafe] Lambda abstraction analogous to imperative pseudo-code?

I might say something like:

Lambda abstraction takes a function application, such as f x (f applied
to x) and "abstracts" away from the symbol or parameter x. Thus, f x
reprersents f applied to x (specifically), but \x.f x is the
"application of f" (abstractly, i.e., not the application of f to
anything in particular). The resulting term can be applied to another
expression, giving a concrete application of f:

(\x.f x) t => f t

or

(\x.f x)2 => f 2

This process is known as beta reduction.

BTW, Wikipedia articles can be edited.

--- Clifford Beshers <clifford.beshers at linspire.com> wrote:

> The Wikipedia article on lambda abstractions 
> (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambda_abstraction) has a statement
> that 
> does not resonate with me:
> 
>     A lambda abstraction is to a functional programming
>     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Functional_programming> language
> such
>     as Scheme
> <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scheme_programming_language>
>     what pseudo-code <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudo-code> is to
> an
>     imperative programming
>     <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Imperative_programming> language.
> 
> Does anyone else find this to be a peculiar statement?  If you think
> it 
> is accurate, could you provide an alternate explanation and/or
> example 
> to the one in the article?
> 
> > _______________________________________________
> Haskell-Cafe mailing list
> Haskell-Cafe at haskell.org
> http://www.haskell.org/mailman/listinfo/haskell-cafe
> 


===
Gregory Woodhouse  <gregory.woodhouse at sbcglobal.net>

Metaphors be with you.