         | | Programming Paradigms - slide 6 : 8 |
Overview of the functional paradigm
Evaluate an expression and use the resulting value for something
- Characteristics:
- Discipline and idea
- Mathematics and the theory of functions
- The values produced are non-mutable
- Impossible to change any constituent of a composite value
- As a remedy, it is possible to make a revised copy of composite value
- Atemporal
- Time only plays a minor role compared to the imperative paradigm
- Applicative
- All computations are done by applying (calling) functions
- The natural abstraction is the function
- Abstracts a single expression to a function which can be evaluated as an expression
- Functions are first class values
- Functions are full-fledged data just like numbers, lists, ...
- Fits well with computations driven by needs
- Opens a new world of possibilities