Lesson plan
Function composition (computer science)
In computer science, function composition is an act or mechanism to combine simple functions to build more complex ones. Like the usual composition of functions in mathematics, the result of each function is passed as the argument of the next, and the result of the last one is the result of the whole. Programmers frequently apply functions to results of other functions, and almost all programming languages allow it. In some cases, the composition of functions is interesting as a function in its own right, to be used later. Such a function can always be defined but languages with first-class functions make it easier. The ability to easily compose functions encourages factoring (breaking apart) functions for maintainability and code reuse. More generally, big systems might be built by composing whole programs. Narrowly speaking, function composition applies to functions that operate on a finite amount of data, each step sequentially processing it before handing it to the next. Functions that operate on potentially infinite data (a stream or other codata) are known as filters, and are instead connected in a pipeline, which is analogous to function composition and can execute concurrently.
Article summary
In computer science, function composition is an act or mechanism to combine simple functions to build more complex ones. Like the usual composition of functions in mathematics, the result of each function is passed as the argument of the next, and the result of the last one is the result of the whole. Programmers frequently apply functions to results of other functions, and almost all programming languages allow it. In some cases, the composition of functions is interesting as a function in its own right, to be used later. Such a function can always be defined but languages with first-class functions make it easier. The ability to easily compose functions encourages factoring (breaking apart) functions for maintainability and code reuse. More generally, big systems might be built by composing whole programs. Narrowly speaking, function composition applies to functions that operate on a finite amount of data, each step sequentially processing it before handing it to the next. Functions that operate on potentially infinite data (a stream or other codata) are known as filters, and are instead connected in a pipeline, which is analogous to function composition and can execute concurrently.
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Discussion questions
- Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
- Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
- If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?
Bibliography
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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.