Currying
Currying is a technique used in mathematics and computer science that consists of changing a function that takes several arguments into a number of functions that each take one argument. Mathematicians Moses Schönfinkel[1][2][3] and Gottlob Frege laid the groundwork for this technique, which is named after Haskell Brooks Curry.[4][5] Currying is used in Lambda calculus. Some programming languages, such as ML and Haskell say that functions can only have one argument.
References[change | change source]
- ↑ Strachey, Christopher (2000). "Fundamental Concepts in Programming Languages". Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation. 13: 11–49. doi:10.1023/A:1010000313106. S2CID 14124601.
There is a device originated by Schönfinkel, for reducing operators with several operands to the successive application of single operand operators.
(Reprinted lecture notes from 1967.) - ↑ Reynolds, John C. (1998). "Definitional Interpreters for Higher-Order Programming Languages". Higher-Order and Symbolic Computation. 11 (4): 374. doi:10.1023/A:1010027404223. S2CID 43352033.
In the last line we have used a trick called Currying (after the logician H. Curry) to solve the problem of introducing a binary operation into a language where all functions must accept a single argument. (The referee comments that although "Currying" is tastier, "Schönfinkeling" might be more accurate.)
- ↑ Kenneth Slonneger and Barry L. Kurtz. Formal Syntax and Semantics of Programming Languages. p. 144.
- ↑ Henk Barendregt, Erik Barendsen, "Introduction to Lambda Calculus[permanent dead link]", March 2000, page 8.
- ↑ Curry, Haskell; Feys, Robert (1958). Combinatory logic. Vol. I (2 ed.). Amsterdam, Netherlands: North-Holland Publishing Company.