Functional Proframming

Question 1

Describe Functional Programming (FP)

Answer 1

Applying pure functions in sequence to solve complex problems. Functions take input value and product output value without being affected by the program.

Question 2

What is a pure function?

Answer 2

• The same input of a function will always return the same output.
• Immutable variables. No input to a function is altered, but can be copied, then altered and returned.
• No side-effects… Really though, its minimize side effects - (A) Limit access to global/external scoped variables (B) Attempt to be stateless
• Pure functions are composable (A pure function can be made of other functions if they are pure)

Question 3

What are the Pros and Cons of Functional Programming?

Answer 3

Pros
* Easy to understand because not stateful/does not have side effects.
* Testing and debugging is easier, as the function is passed everything it needs and does not rely on state or have side effects.

Cons
* Writing pure functions can reduce readability for complex operations.
* Joining pure functions with the rest of application and IO operations can be difficult.

Question 4

When to use Functional Programming?

Answer 4

• Concurrency/parallelism
• Mathematical computational code
• Smaller/less feature rich applications.