lambda calculus

English

Etymology

Coined by Alonzo Church after the use of the Greek letter lambda (λ) as the basic abstraction operator in the calculus.

Noun

lambda calculus (countable and uncountable, plural lambda calculi)

1. (computing theory) Any of a family of functionally complete algebraic systems in which lambda expressions are evaluated according to a fixed set of rules to produce values, which may themselves be lambda expressions.

Meronyms

• alpha conversion
• beta reduction
• eta conversion
• lambda term

Derived terms

• typed lambda calculus

Related terms

• calculus
• lambda
• lambda abstraction
• lambda expression

Translations

algebraic system

• Czech: lambda kalkul m
• Finnish: lambdakalkyyli (fi)
• Icelandic: lambda-reikningur m
• Japanese: λ計算, ラムダ計算 (ramuda keisan)
• Macedonian: ламбда-пресметка f (lambda-presmetka)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Romanian: calcul lambda n
• Russian: лямбда-исчисление (ru) n (ljambda-isčislenije)
• Serbo-Croatian: lambda račun m
• Swedish: lambdakalkyl c

See also

• combinator
• functionally complete
• recursive function
• Turing machine