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Re: OOP in Mathematica

• To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
• Subject: [mg29151] Re: OOP in Mathematica
• From: "John Doty" <jpd at w-d.org>
• Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 23:28:37 -0400 (EDT)
• References: <b3AP6.274$y25.1892@ralph.vnet.net> <9f2g4c$878$1@smc.vnet.net>
• Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com

In article <9f2g4c$878$1 at smc.vnet.net>, "Jens-Peer Kuska"
<kuska at informatik.uni-leipzig.de> wrote:

> The head *is* the function call!

No, the head is just the head. If a particular head is associated with
replacement rules that work like a function, you might want to call that
head a "function". On the other hand, you can invert function and argument
if you wish:

In[33]:= x_[sin]^:=Sin[x]

In[34]:= Pi[sin]

Out[34]= 0

To be sure, most rules mimic function evaluation and/or sequential flow of
control. This makes Mathematica look more like a "normal" programming
language than it really is. It's really just a convention: Mathematica can
also define bizarre rules like the ones above. 

-- 
| John Doty		"You can't confuse me, that's my job."
| Home: jpd at w-d.org
| Work: jpd at space.mit.edu