LAMBDA Functions: Powerful And Elegant Abstractions

Pythons lambda, a tiny anonymous function, can be useful in a pinch when youre feeling too lazy to type that extra def. But did you know that behind this little lambda is actually one of the most powerful elegant abstractions in the history of computer science The lambda calculus, dating back to the work of lambda shepherd Alonzo Church in the 1930s, lets us represent our programs all their logic and data as pure, anonymous functions, using nothing but (a whole lot of) lambda. Lets take it for a spin and see what we can create: booleans and conditionals, integers, arithmetical operators, data structures you name it. With some determination, and a little squinting, we might even see lambda do the impossible: reconcile objectoriented and functional programming. You heard it right: lambda can do it all Join me as we explore its astounding computational power, and walk away with a deeper respect and admiration for the almighty little lambda. EVENT: EuroPython Conferenc