Discussion 3: Higher-Order Functions

Call Expressions

Draw an environment diagram for the code below. You can use paper or a tablet or the whiteboard. Then, step through the diagram generated by Python Tutor to check your work.

def foo(x, y):
    foo = bar
    return foo(x, y)
def bar(z, x):
    return z + y
y = 5
foo(1, 2)

Here's a blank diagram in case you're using a tablet:

template

If you have questions, ask those around you or course staff instead of just looking up the answer!

Higher-Order Functions

Remember the problem-solving approach from last discussion; it works just as well for implementing higher-order functions.

  1. Pick an example input and corresponding output. (This time it might be a function.)
  2. Describe a process (in English) that computes the output from the input using simple steps.
  3. Figure out what additional names you'll need to carry out this process.
  4. Implement the process in code using those additional names.
  5. Determine whether the implementation really works on your original example.
  6. Determine whether the implementation really works on other examples. (If not, you might need to revise step 2.)

Q1: Make Keeper

Implement make_keeper, which takes a positive integer n and returns a function f that takes as its argument another one-argument function cond. When f is called on cond, it prints out the integers from 1 to n (including n) for which cond returns a true value when called on each of those integers. Each integer is printed on a separate line.

Run in 61A Code

No peeking! First try to implement it without the hint.

To return a function f, include def f(cond): as the first line of the implementation and return f as the last. The f function should introduce i = 1 in order to loop through all integers, calling cond(i) to determine whether cond returns true for each integer.

Don't run Python to check your work unless you're confident your answer is correct. You can check it just by thinking!. If you get stuck, ask the staff for help.

Q2: Multi-Apply

Sometimes we want to apply a function more than once to a number. Implement multi-apply, which is a higher-order function takes in a function f. It returns a function of the form g(x, y), which takes in two arguments. This new function composes, or applies, f to x y times; for example, for y = 3, it would evaluate f(f(f(x))).

Run in 61A Code

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