On 31/08/12 05:43, Steven D'Aprano wrote:
Where does the name come from? Lambda is the Greek letter L, and for reasons I don't know, it is the traditional name used for functions in some of the more abstract areas of computer science.
More specifically it is the name of a branch of mathematics called Lambda Calculus which is the theoretical underpinning of a lot of computer science. It predates the study of computing (in the modern mechanised sense) in the same way as Boolean logic predates modern computing, but both are essential theoretical building blocks.
Python's lambda feature is therefore useful in formal teaching scenarios, which was an important aspect of Python as originally perceived. Python grew out of several other teaching languages and a lot of the early features were explicitly added to assist in teaching computing theory to students.
Google Lambda Calculus for more but be prepared to have your mind boggled. It's not an intuitive branch of math!
-- Alan G Author of the Learn to Program web site http://www.alan-g.me.uk/ _______________________________________________ Tutor maillist - Tutor@python.org To unsubscribe or change subscription options: http://mail.python.org/mailman/listinfo/tutor
