Lesson plan

Off-side rule

The off-side rule describes syntax of a computer programming language that defines the bounds of a code block via indentation. The term was coined by Peter Landin, possibly as a pun on the offside law in association football. An off-side rule language is contrasted with a free-form language in which indentation has no syntactic meaning, and indentation is strictly a matter of style. An off-side rule language is also described as having significant indentation.

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Article summary

The off-side rule describes syntax of a computer programming language that defines the bounds of a code block via indentation. The term was coined by Peter Landin, possibly as a pun on the offside law in association football. An off-side rule language is contrasted with a free-form language in which indentation has no syntactic meaning, and indentation is strictly a matter of style. An off-side rule language is also described as having significant indentation.

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Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  3. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

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Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.