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In lambda calculus, functions are taken to be 'first class values', so functions may be used as the inputs, or be returned as outputs from other functions. For example, the lambda term λ x . x {\displaystyle \lambda x.x} represents the identity function , x ↦ x {\displaystyle x\mapsto x} .
The names "lambda abstraction", "lambda function", and "lambda expression" refer to the notation of function abstraction in lambda calculus, where the usual function f (x) = M would be written (λx. M), and where M is an expression that uses x. Compare to the Python syntax of lambda x: M.
The only difference in implementation is that in the first case we used a nested function with a name, g, while in the second case we used an anonymous nested function (using the Python keyword lambda for creating an anonymous function). The original name, if any, used in defining them is irrelevant. A closure is a value like any other value.
In this case particular lambda terms (which define functions) are considered as values. "Running" (beta reducing) the fixed-point combinator on the encoding gives a lambda term for the result which may then be interpreted as fixed-point value. Alternately, a function may be considered as a lambda term defined purely in lambda calculus.
The get-word! values (i.e., :calc-product and :calc-sum) trigger the interpreter to return the code of the function rather than evaluate with the function. The datatype! references in a block! [float! integer!] restrict the type of values passed as arguments.
Meta-functions will be given that describe the conversion between lambda and let expressions. A meta-function is a function that takes a program as a parameter. The program is data for the meta-program. The program and the meta program are at different meta-levels. The following conventions will be used to distinguish program from the meta program,
In all versions of Python, boolean operators treat zero values or empty values such as "", 0, None, 0.0, [], and {} as false, while in general treating non-empty, non-zero values as true. The boolean values True and False were added to the language in Python 2.2.1 as constants (subclassed from 1 and 0 ) and were changed to be full blown ...
In the untyped lambda calculus, where the basic types are functions, lifting may change the result of beta reduction of a lambda expression. The resulting functions will have the same meaning, in a mathematical sense, but are not regarded as the same function in the untyped lambda calculus. See also intensional versus extensional equality.