3 ms·
Let's clarify here: "Calculus"[0] and the lambda calculus have almost nothing to do with one another. They just share a word in their name, like the Department
by wool_gather 7y ago
Let's clarify here: "Calculus"[0] and the lambda calculus have almost nothing to do with one another. They just share a word in their name, like the Department of Mathematics and the Fire Department. There are several different things called "the X calculus".
[0]:Could be called "numerical calculus" or "calculus of integration and differentiation", perhaps.
- JoelMcCracken 7y agoA while back I was trying to under why some things are called algebras and others calculus. The answer I got is that the term calculus is related to the introduction/reduction of variables or symbols, whereas an algebra is manipulation of existing symbols.
- mruts 7y agoI always thought it related to continuous variables and the highly useful concept of the infinitesimal. But maybe that definition works as well.
- User23 7y agoGood clarification, but I wouldn't say almost nothing. All are formal symbolic reasoning techniques. For example, The predicate calculus is invaluable for writing correct programs with mind-bogglingly large input domains, such as the set of all C++ programs.
- mlevental 7y agohistorically they were called the differential calculus and the integral calculus