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Lambda Calculus

Era: Early Theory · 1930s–1950s

Alonzo Church proposed Lambda Calculus, a formal system for function definition and application. Lambda Calculus is regarded as the theoretical foundation of functional programming. The original 1936 lambda calculus was untyped; Church added simple types in 1940 ("A Formulation of the Simple Theory of Types"), creating one of the earliest explicitly-typed systems.

Alonzo Church (1903–1995)

Sources and support

  1. An Unsolvable Problem of Elementary Number Theory

    American Journal of Mathematics · Source type: paper

    Church’s 1936 paper presents lambda-definability and undecidability.

    Published: ·Accessed: