Functional Languages (L14) Flashcards
The design of imperative languages is based directly on which architecture model?
Von Neumann
architecture.
Does the Von Neumann architecture prioritize suitability for software development, or efficiency?
Efficiency.
Define the mathematical function.
it is a mapping of members of one (domain) set, to another (range) set.
C, Python, and Java functions are better described as?
Procedures.
What difference is there between procedures and true functions?
Procedures produce side effects (not pure mappings).
Does the modification of a global variable within a function count as a side effect?
Yes.
What term is used to refer to the consistency of a function’s output?
Referential integrity.
Do procedures in C, Python or Java have referential integrity?
They might - not neccesarilly, as is the case for pure functions.
Do side effects affect the evaluation order of statements?
Yes - the elimination of side effects generally reduce the importance of evaluation order.
Are functional languages used in industry?
Not as much as imperative languages.
Are functional languages used in research?
Mostly, yes.
Do imperative or functional languages have greater correctness?
Functional, and thus functional languages are more reliable.
In what way does correctness impact concurrency?
Correct functions do no manipulate global state, and thus they may be executed concurrently.
What’s a higher-order function?
A function that takes functions as parameters and/or yields a function as its result.
What’s a functional form?
Same as a higher order function.
“First class functions” refers to what type of functions?
Functions that can be used in the same way as any basic data type.
Why don’t C’s function pointers count as first class functions?
Because C requires explicit prototyping when passing functions as parameters, and is much more fragile when using functions as types.
Does Python support first class functions?
Unlike C, Python does support first class functions.
Function composition is a functional form that does what?
That yields a function whose value is the first parameter (function) applied to the application of the second.
Does C support function composition?
No.
Do functional languages rely on iteration or recursion?
Recursion, but they often provide mechanisms for looping as well.
Apply-to-all functionality in functional languages is commonly provided by a function called?
Map
Why are data structures in functional languages generally immutable?
Such that global state does not change, and thus correctness is maintained.
Due to data structure immutability in functional languages, do modifications produce entirely new copies?
No, modifications are more efficiently implemented.
How are pure functional languages defined?
As collections functions with no imperative constructs or mutability.
What type of programming language is Haskell?
Pure functional.
What type of programming language is Clojure?
A hybrid of functional and imperative.
