Path: csiph.com!v102.xanadu-bbs.net!xanadu-bbs.net!feeder.erje.net!eu.feeder.erje.net!newsfeed.xs4all.nl!newsfeed2.news.xs4all.nl!xs4all!post.news.xs4all.nl!not-for-mail Return-Path: X-Original-To: python-list@python.org Delivered-To: python-list@mail.python.org X-Spam-Status: OK 0.107 X-Spam-Level: * X-Spam-Evidence: '*H*': 0.83; '*S*': 0.04; 'argument': 0.05; 'itself.': 0.14; '(lambda': 0.16; '13th': 0.16; 'lambda': 0.16; 'notation': 0.16; 'wrote:': 0.18; 'wed,': 0.18; 'passing': 0.19; 'python?': 0.22; '31,': 0.24; 'header:In-Reply-To:1': 0.27; 'function': 0.29; 'am,': 0.29; 'message-id:@mail.gmail.com': 0.30; '(which': 0.31; 'anonymous': 0.31; 'received:google.com': 0.35; 'possible': 0.36; 'example,': 0.37; 'to:addr:python-list': 0.38; 'does': 0.39; 'to:addr:python.org': 0.39; 'number:': 0.66; 'jul': 0.74; '13)': 0.84; 'functions)': 0.84; 'musical': 0.84; 'fibonacci': 0.91; '2013': 0.98 DKIM-Signature: v=1; a=rsa-sha256; c=relaxed/relaxed; d=gmail.com; s=20120113; h=mime-version:in-reply-to:references:from:date:message-id:subject:to :content-type; bh=hVnBzNE2OzZUkzUBechoV0bIwpUJZsUxUUjm2sjq0uo=; b=gudPUXOqQZ4yP8SXORuvSoT0pZ5fwlHBNFPmCy2SOkgXLzpOGzTr9NFAJd5Z1s9eM3 u6A4DjiO1T9ndRMs6MJ6VPdqK/jTjmd0ZW+AmLGtR4Ks/eMnmwJRTR5Eox8chM/Z3H9G eWIOYuE34yUWrd4BBu/fhfUFMFroDljy5QPvGiZgfawHCeqg8bUXt1EMgVid6nLlpv63 9zC3cr3xTlH+l0Kulu9VtULFUFwOEaqMN9wYySu4i9wUZ8wIMJj1DFb0PSyPbBeEwxTW Lht0vq33jEOPckS9a3gjGqOpD5ZYkHprN/ugb+B+hEk/iLHXpJrb1p9+MprGjuw1tFn5 fjfQ== X-Received: by 10.68.36.132 with SMTP id q4mr81394434pbj.118.1375290505919; Wed, 31 Jul 2013 10:08:25 -0700 (PDT) MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To: <5CB71036-C359-4211-8B3B-62B17AACF88E@gmail.com> References: <5CB71036-C359-4211-8B3B-62B17AACF88E@gmail.com> From: Ian Kelly Date: Wed, 31 Jul 2013 11:07:45 -0600 Subject: Re: Lambda function Turing completeness To: Python Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 X-BeenThere: python-list@python.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.15 Precedence: list List-Id: General discussion list for the Python programming language List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , Newsgroups: comp.lang.python Message-ID: Lines: 10 NNTP-Posting-Host: 2001:888:2000:d::a6 X-Trace: 1375290509 news.xs4all.nl 15919 [2001:888:2000:d::a6]:52236 X-Complaints-To: abuse@xs4all.nl Xref: csiph.com comp.lang.python:51674 On Wed, Jul 31, 2013 at 12:53 AM, Musical Notation wrote: > Is it possible to write a Turing-complete lambda function (which does not depend on named functions) in Python? Yes, lambda functions are Turing-complete. You can get anonymous recursion by defining the function to take a recursive function argument and then passing it to itself. For example, this will (inefficiently) give you the 13th Fibonacci number: (lambda f, n: f(f, n))(lambda f, n: n if n < 2 else f(f, n-2) + f(f, n-1), 13)