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Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination

From Robin Becker <robin@reportlab.com>
Subject Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination
Date 2015-07-17 09:57 +0100
References <55a3dcd9$0$3024$426a34cc@news.free.fr> <mailman.532.1436952589.3674.python-list@python.org> <55a76628$0$2846$c3e8da3$76491128@news.astraweb.com> <55A77927.7090406@chamonix.reportlab.co.uk> <CALwzidk5W_CX5CV-EcxTQFWLUVmxKeGwhACfP0R4rSUabc1Yiw@mail.gmail.com>
Newsgroups comp.lang.python
Message-ID <mailman.634.1437123479.3674.python-list@python.org> (permalink)

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On 16/07/2015 17:17, Ian Kelly wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 16, 2015 at 3:28 AM, Robin Becker <robin@reportlab.com> wrote:
.............
>>
>> ....
>> I believe the classic answer is Ackermann's function
>>
>> http://demonstrations.wolfram.com/RecursionInTheAckermannFunction/
>>
>> which is said to be not "primitive recursive" ie cannot be unwound into
>> loops; not sure whether that implies it has to be recursively defined or can
>> perhaps be broken down some other way.
>
that should have said "simple loops"


> My recollection -- and it's been awhile since I've studied
> computability theory so I may be distorting things here -- is that
> primitive recursive functions can be computed using for loops, i.e.
> loops where the number of iterations is bounded in advance, whereas
> non-primitive recursive functions require while loops.
>
I'm guessing, but is the implication that for loops can be specified finitely in 
advance, but while loops need some processing in the calculation to determine 
termination? I'm an engineer :(
-- 
Robin Becker

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Thread

A new module for performing tail-call elimination "Th. Baruchel" <baruchel@no.spam.gmx.dot.com> - 2015-07-13 15:44 +0000
  Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-15 11:29 +0200
    Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python@pearwood.info> - 2015-07-16 18:07 +1000
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Robin Becker <robin@reportlab.com> - 2015-07-16 10:13 +0100
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Robin Becker <robin@reportlab.com> - 2015-07-16 10:28 +0100
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-07-16 12:56 +0300
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-16 12:41 +0200
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Steven D'Aprano <steve@pearwood.info> - 2015-07-17 04:58 +1000
          Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-17 11:00 +0200
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-07-16 21:11 +1000
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Jeremy Sanders <jeremy@jeremysanders.net> - 2015-07-16 13:29 +0200
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-16 15:35 +0200
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-07-16 23:47 +1000
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Paul Rubin <no.email@nospam.invalid> - 2015-07-17 20:06 -0700
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-16 16:21 +0200
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-07-17 00:27 +1000
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-16 17:14 +0200
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Ian Kelly <ian.g.kelly@gmail.com> - 2015-07-16 10:17 -0600
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2015-07-16 10:54 -0700
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2015-07-16 11:02 -0700
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-07-16 15:45 -0400
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Ethan Furman <ethan@stoneleaf.us> - 2015-07-16 12:58 -0700
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Robin Becker <robin@reportlab.com> - 2015-07-17 09:57 +0100
    Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Alain Ketterlin <alain@universite-de-strasbourg.fr.invalid> - 2015-07-16 13:23 +0200
  Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-07-15 17:19 -0400
  Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-16 09:45 +0200
  Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-07-16 15:34 -0400
    Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-07-16 22:45 +0300
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-07-17 15:47 -0400
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-07-17 23:55 +0300
          Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Terry Reedy <tjreedy@udel.edu> - 2015-07-17 20:40 -0400
            Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2015-07-19 10:39 +1200
          Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Chris Angelico <rosuav@gmail.com> - 2015-07-18 10:47 +1000
          Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2015-07-19 10:39 +1200
      Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Gregory Ewing <greg.ewing@canterbury.ac.nz> - 2015-07-19 10:39 +1200
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Mark Lawrence <breamoreboy@yahoo.co.uk> - 2015-07-19 01:09 +0100
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination MRAB <python@mrabarnett.plus.com> - 2015-07-19 01:19 +0100
        Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Marko Rauhamaa <marko@pacujo.net> - 2015-07-19 09:29 +0300
  Re: A new module for performing tail-call elimination Antoon Pardon <antoon.pardon@rece.vub.ac.be> - 2015-07-17 10:06 +0200

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