University
of Washington CSE583 D. Notkin © 2000
67
The lambda calculus
lThis prevalence of functions demands
a basic
understanding of the lambda calculus
Other models of computation (such as Turing machines) dont give us much insight
into functional
computation
lWhy care about the model of
computation underlying
a programming language?
It helps us deeply understand a language, and thus be more effective in using it