I’ve found that a schematic form of alligator calculus is actually rather handy for calculating lambda terms by hand. We draw a lambda as a line with a mouth. Parentheses are a line without a mouth. Here’s the identity function: Here are some Church numerals: Here are boolean AND and OR (assuming the standard definitions for TRUE and FALSE): The Y combinator: I don’t know if these are any easier to read than the standard notation, but I’ve found them to be easier to work with, using pencil and paper. I imagine the terms eating one another and hatching below. I don’t get lost in a long chain of symbols, losing track of what’s applying to what. — Updated on 2024-04-23 17:34:40
I’ve found that a schematic form of alligator calculus is actually rather handy for calculating lambda terms by hand. We draw a lambda as a line with a mouth. Parentheses are a line without a mouth. Here’s the identity function: Here are some Church numerals: Here are boolean AND and OR (assuming the standard definitions for TRUE and FALSE): The Y combinator: I don’t know if these are any easier to read than the standard notation, but I’ve found them to be easier to work with, using pencil and paper. I imagine the terms eating one another and hatching below. I don’t get lost in a long chain of symbols, losing track of what’s applying to what. — Updated on 2024-04-23 17:34:40