[plt-scheme] HtDP: 'Function' or 'Program' or 'Method'?

[Stephen Bloch]

> Matthias wrote:
>
>> Functions for individual things at the beginning. We remind them  
>> of  the mathematical functions they got to know and hate in  
>> boring  algebra and precalc courses.
>> As they write several functions to solve problems, we start  
>> mingling  functions and programs.

and Prabhakar Ragde replied:
> But you never call a single function definition a "program", right?
>
> The grammars for the teaching languages make it clear that a  
> program is a sequence of definitions and expressions.

Right, and a one-element sequence (comprising a single function)  
would qualify, wouldn't it?

Of course, that's being formal.  I don't usually hammer on this  
point, but if one of my students were to ask, I would probably say "a  
program is one or more functions that work together."



Stephen Bloch
sbloch at adelphi.edu