Re: Re: pure functions vs. functions
- To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net
- Subject: [mg57629] Re: [mg57584] Re: [mg57415] pure functions vs. functions
- From: Chris Chiasson <chris.chiasson at gmail.com>
- Date: Thu, 2 Jun 2005 05:17:18 -0400 (EDT)
- References: <NDBBJGNHKLMPLILOIPPOCEFKEIAA.djmp@earthlink.net> <200506011003.GAA24509@smc.vnet.net>
- Reply-to: Chris Chiasson <chris.chiasson at gmail.com>
- Sender: owner-wri-mathgroup at wolfram.com
What do you mean by procedurally? On 6/1/05, Marcin Rak <umrakmm at cc.umanitoba.ca> wrote: > Thanks for the thurough description of when one would go about using the > pure function. > I've never programmed in a language of this sort - I'm used to procedural > and object orianted but Mathematica (which seems to simply be a whole bunch > of statements nested one within the other is something completely > different). > > Perhaps you could help me understand also the structure of programs in > Mathematica, by answering whether the following is true: > 1) Each line of input in Mathematica is simply at most a whole bunch of > nested commands where the output of the inner is used as the input of the > outer? > > 2) The only way to program proceduraly in Mathematica is to employ the > entire notebook? > > Thanks again > MR > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "David Park" <djmp at earthlink.net> To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net > Subject: [mg57629] [mg57584] Re: [mg57415] pure functions vs. functions > > > > MR, > > > > First, pure functions are very useful in Mathematica and it's great that > you > > are looking at them. > > > > Pure functions are usually used where we want to carry out some operation > on > > expressions without actually going to the bother of defining a named > > function. Maybe it is something you want to do on the fly and you are only > > going to use it once. > > > > Here is a function that takes the square of an expression. > > > > f[x_]:=x^2 > > > > We use it... > > > > f[2a] > > 4*a^2 > > > > But maybe we only wanted to do this once. So why bother defining f. (Of > > course, in this case we could just use (2a)^2 but I'm trying to use a > simple > > example where f might actually be more complicated.) We could just use... > > > > #^2 &[2a] > > 4*a^2 > > > > The pure function is just a substitute for 'f'. Instead of using a name of > a > > function we simply describe the action we want from the function and don't > > bother with assigning a name. > > > > Here is an example where we might want to use pure functions. We are going > > to show how a simple linear equation is solved step-by-step for x. (Copy > the > > code and paste it into a Mathematica notebook to evaluate.) > > > > Print["Equation to solve for x"] > > a x + b == c > > Print["Subtract b from each side"] > > # - b & /@ %% > > Print["Divide each side by a"] > > #/a & /@ %% > > > > We can do the entire derivation in one cell. The interspersed Print > > statements annotate the steps. %% refers to the second previous output > > (jumping over the Print statements). Each operation is defined by a pure > > function, which is mapped to each side of the equation. It would be > > cumbersome to define functions to subtract b from an expression, or to > > divide an expression by a because we would never use them again. > > > > The Function statement is just a longer method of writing a pure function. > > Sometimes I find Function useful because it is a little more explicit and > it > > is easier to follow if I'm trying to write nested pure functions. > > > > David Park > > djmp at earthlink.net > > http://home.earthlink.net/~djmp/ > > > > > > > > > > > > From: Marcin Rak [mailto:umrakmm at cc.umanitoba.ca] To: mathgroup at smc.vnet.net > > > > > > Hey everyone, I had a beginner question: what exactly is the difference > > between a pure function and just a function? > > ie. the difference between declaring functions using > > f[arg1_,...,argn_] := "some expression making use of the arguments" > > > > and explicilty calling Function[{arg1_,...,argn_}, "same expression > > making use of the arguments"] > > > > They have different heads!! > > > > Thanks > > MR > > > > > > > > > > > > -- Chris Chiasson http://chrischiasson.com/ 1 (810) 265-3161
- References:
- Re: pure functions vs. functions
- From: "Marcin Rak" <umrakmm@cc.umanitoba.ca>
- Re: pure functions vs. functions