I have to write a function in Racket using foldr that will take a list of numbers and remove list elements that are larger than any subsequent numbers.
Example: (eliminate-larger (list 1 2 3 5 4)) should produce (1 2 3 4)
I can do it without using foldr or any higher-order functions but I can't figure it out with foldr. Here's what I have:
(define (eliminate-larger lst)
(filter (lambda (z) (not(equal? z null)))
(foldr (lambda (x y)
(cons (determine-larger x (rest lst)) y)) null lst))
)
(define (determine-larger value lst)
(if (equal? (filter (lambda (x) (>= x value)) lst) lst)
value
null)
)
determine-larger will take in a value and a list and return that value if it is greater than or equal to all elements in the list. If not, it returns null. Now the eliminate-larger function is trying to go through the list and pass each value to determine-larger along with a list of every number after it. If it is a "good" value it will be returned and put in the list, if it's not a null is put in the list. Then at the end the nulls are being filtered out. My problem is getting the list of numbers that follow after the current number in the foldr function. Using "rest lst" doesn't work since it's not being done recursively like that. How do I get the rest of the numbers after x in foldr?
I really hope I'm not doing your homework for you, but here goes ...
How do I get the rest of the numbers after x in foldr?
Because you're consuming the list from the right, you can structure your accumulator such that "the rest of the numbers after x" are available as its memo argument.
(define (eliminate-larger lst)
(foldr
(lambda (member memo)
(if (andmap (lambda (n) (<= member n)) memo)
(cons member memo)
memo))
'()
lst))
(eliminate-larger (list 1 2 3 5 4)) ;; (1 2 3 4)
This is admittedly a naive solution, as you're forced to traverse the entire accumulator with each iteration, but you could easily maintain a max value, in addition to your memo, and compare against that each time through.
Following works:
(define (el lst)
(define (inner x lsti)
(if(empty? lsti) (list x)
(if(<= x (apply max lsti))
(cons x lsti)
lsti)))
(foldr inner '() lst))
(el (list 1 2 3 5 4))
Output:
'(1 2 3 4)
The cond version may be preferable:
(define (el lst)
(define (inner x lsti)
(cond
[(empty? lsti) (list x)]
[(<= x (apply max lsti)) (cons x lsti)]
[else lsti] ))
(foldr inner '() lst) )
I am trying to write a function that takes one or more integers and returns a list of all the arguments that have the same even-odd parity as the first argument, for example
(same-parity 1 2 3 4 5 6 7)->(1 3 5 7)
(same-parity 2 3 4 5 6)->(2 4 6).
my code is
(define (same-parity g . w)
(define (iter-parity items)
(if (= (length items) 1)
(if (= (remainder items 2) (remainder g 2))
item
'())
(if (= (remainder g 2) (remainder (car items) 2))
(cons (car items) (iter-parity (cdr items)))
(iter-parity (cdr items)))))
(cons g (iter-parity w)))
when try this (same-parity (list 1 2 3 4)), I got an error message:
the object (), passed as the first argument to car, is not the correct type.
Can I somebody tell me what is going on?
Your code
Here's a refactoring proposal, keeping with your basic structure:
(define (same-parity g . w)
(define filter-predicate? (if (odd? g) odd? even?))
(define (iter-parity items)
(if (null? items)
'()
(if (filter-predicate? (car items))
(cons (car items) (iter-parity (cdr items)))
(iter-parity (cdr items)))))
(cons g (iter-parity w)))
Note that it is more idiomatic
to use the procedures odd? and even? rather than remainder
to have as a base case when the list is empty, not when it has only one item (in your code this clearly avoids repetition as a positive effect).
Also, since there is a built-in filter procedure in Scheme, you could express it as follows:
(define (same-parity g . w)
(cons g (filter (if (odd? g) odd? even?) w)))
Your question
As for your question regarding (same-parity (list 1 2 3 4)): you need either (as described in your specification) use your procedure like so
(same-parity 1 2 3 4)
or to use apply here:
> (apply same-parity (list 1 2 3 4))
'(1 3)
because apply will transform (same-parity (list 1 2 3 4)) (1 parameter, a list) into (same-parity 1 2 3 4) (4 parameters).
I am new to lisp and working on a homework problem to flatten a nested list. I have my funciton working except it needs to 'remove' dotted pairs. So given (1 (2 3) (4 . 5) ((6 7) (89))) my function should output (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9).
So.. my actual question..
Given a dotted pair e.g (1 . 2), how can I get the list '(1 2)?
A cons cell is a structure that has two parts, called its car and its cdr. The pair (1 . 2) is a cons cell whose car is 1 and whose cdr is 2. Lists in Lisps are built up from cons cells and nil. How this works is described in lots of places, including the answer to Recursive range in Lisp adds a period? A list is either the empty list () (also called nil), or a cons whose car is the first element of the list and whose cdr is another list which is the rest of the list. That means that a list
(1 2)
is built of cons cells and nil as
(cons 1 (cons 2 nil))
If you've already got (1 . 2), then you can get 1 and 2 with car and cdr. You'd put them back together as just described. That is,
(let ((x '(1 . 2)))
(cons (car x) (cons (cdr x) nil)))
Alternatively, you could just use list:
(let ((x '(1 . 2)))
(list (car x) (cdr x)))
If you want to reuse the same cons cell, you could replace the cdr of the cell with (cons 2 nil). For instance (and note that we're not quoting the pair anymore, because modifying literal data is undefined behavior):
(let ((x (cons 1 2)))
(setf (cdr x) (cons (cdr x) nil))
x)
That could also be
(let ((x (cons 1 2)))
(setf (cdr x) (list (cdr x)))
x)
You could also use rplacd:
(let ((x (cons 1 2)))
(rplacd x (list (cdr x)))
x)
i am trying to write a function in lisp which have 2 parameters one function F and one list L
if i place '> in place of F and list L is '(1 2 3 4 5) it will return 5 as 5 is biggest.
and if we put '< then it compares all list elements and gives the smallest one as output.
and so on.
we can even put custom written function in place of F for comparison.
i wish i could provide more sample code but i am really stuck at the start.
(DEFUN givex (F L)
(cond
(F (car L) (car (cdr L))
;after this i got stuck
)
)
another attemp to write this function
(defun best(F list)
(if (null (rest list)) (first list)
(funcall F (first List) (best (F list)))))
You are almost there, just the else clause returns the f's return value instead of the the best element:
(defun best (F list)
(let ((first (first list))
(rest (rest list)))
(if (null rest)
first
(let ((best (best f rest)))
(if (funcall F first best)
best
first)))))
Examples:
(best #'< '(1 2 3))
==> 3
(best #'> '(1 2 3))
==> 1
Note that this recursive implementation is not tail-recursive, so it is not the most efficient one. You might prefer this instead:
(defun best (f list)
(reduce (lambda (a b) (if (funcall f a b) b a)) list))
Or, better yet,
(defmacro fmax (f)
`(lambda (a b) (if (,f a b) b a)))
(reduce (fmax <) '(1 2 3))
==> 1
(reduce (fmax >) '(1 -2 3 -4) :key #'abs)
==> 1
(reduce (fmax <) '(1 -2 3 -4) :key #'abs)
==> 4
I'm having issues trying to form code for a problem I want to resolve. It goes like this:
~ Goal: flatten a nested list into one number
If the object is a list, replace the list with the sum of its atoms.
With nested lists, flatten the innermost lists first and work from there.
Example:
(CONDENSE '(2 3 4 (3 1 1 1) (2 3 (1 2)) 5))
(2 3 4 (6) (2 3 (3)) 5)
(2 3 4 (6) (8) 5)
(28)
=> 28
I've tried to implement the flatten list function for this problem and I ended up with this:
(defun condense (lst)
(cond
((null lst) nil)
((atom lst) (list lst)))
(t (append (flatten (apply #'+ (cdr lst))))))
But it gives me errors :(
Could anyone explain to me what is wrong with my processing/code? How can I improve it?
UPDATE: JUNE 5 2012
(defun condense(lxt)
(typecase lxt
(number (abs lxt))
(list
(if (all-atoms lxt)
(calculate lxt)
(condense (mapcar #'condense lxt))))))
So here, in this code, my true intent is shown. I have a function calculate that performs a calculation based off the values in the list. It is not necessarily the same operation each time. Also, I am aware that I am returning the absolute value of the number; I did this because I couldn't find another way to return the number itself. I need to find a way to return the number if the lxt is a number. And I had it recurse two times at the bottom, because this is one way that it loops on itself infinitely until it computes a single number. NOTE: this function doesn't implement a flatten function anymore nor does it use anything from it.
Imagine you have your function already. What does it get? What must it produce?
Given an atom, what does it return? Given a simple list of atoms, what should it return?
(defun condense (x)
(typecase x
(number
; then what?
(condense-number x))
(list
; then what?
(if (all-atoms x)
(condense-list-of-atoms x) ; how to do that?
(process-further-somehow
(condense-lists-inside x))))
; what other clauses, if any, must be here?
))
What must condense-lists-inside do? According to your description, it is to condense the nested lists inside - each into a number, and leave the atoms intact. So it will leave a list of numbers. To process that further somehow, we already "have" a function, condense-list-of-atoms, right?
Now, how to implement condense-lists-inside? That's easy,
(defun condense-lists-inside (xs)
(mapcar #'dowhat xs))
Do what? Why, condense, of course! Remember, we imagine we have it already. As long as it gets what it's meant to get, it shall produce what it is designed to produce. Namely, given an atom or a list (with possibly nested lists inside), it will produce a number.
So now, fill in the blanks, and simplify. In particular, see whether you really need the all-atoms check.
edit: actually, using typecase was an unfortunate choice, as it treats NIL as LIST. We need to treat NIL differently, to return a "zero value" instead. So it's better to use the usual (cond ((null x) ...) ((numberp x) ...) ((listp x) ...) ... ) construct.
About your new code: you've erred: to process the list of atoms returned after (mapcar #'condense x), we have a function calculate that does that, no need to go so far back as to condense itself. When you substitute calculate there, it will become evident that the check for all-atoms is not needed at all; it was only a pedagogical device, to ease the development of the code. :) It is OK to make superfluous choices when we develop, if we then simplify them away, after we've achieved the goal of correctness!
But, removing the all-atoms check will break your requirement #2. The calculation will then proceed as follows
(CONDENSE '(2 3 4 (3 1 1 1) (2 3 (1 2)) 5))
==
(calculate (mapcar #'condense '(2 3 4 (3 1 1 1) (2 3 (1 2)) 5)))
==
(calculate (list 2 3 4 (condense '(3 1 1 1)) (condense '(2 3 (1 2))) 5))
==
(calculate (list 2 3 4 (calculate '(3 1 1 1))
(calculate (list 2 3 (calculate '(1 2)))) 5))
==
(calculate (list 2 3 4 6 (calculate '(2 3 3)) 5))
==
(calculate (list 2 3 4 6 8 5))
==
28
I.e. it'll proceed in left-to-right fashion instead of the from the deepest-nested level out. Imagining the nested list as a tree (which it is), this would "munch" on the tree from its deepest left corner up and to the right; the code with all-atoms check would proceed strictly by the levels up.
So the final simplified code is:
(defun condense (x)
(if (listp x)
(reduce #'+ (mapcar #'condense x))
(abs x)))
a remark: Looking at that last illustration of reduction sequence, a clear picture emerges - of replacing each node in the argument tree with a calculate application. That is a clear case of folding, just such that is done over a tree instead of a plain list, as reduce is.
This can be directly coded with what's known as "car-cdr recursion", replacing each cons cell with an application of a combining function f on two results of recursive calls into car and cdr components of the cell:
(defun condense (x) (reduce-tree x #'+ 0))
(defun reduce-tree (x f z)
(labels ((g (x)
(cond
((consp x) (funcall f (g (car x)) (g (cdr x))))
((numberp x) x)
((null x) z)
(T (error "not a number")))))
(g x)))
As you can see this version is highly recursive, which is not that good.
Is this homework? If so, please mark it as such. Some hints:
are you sure the 'condensation' of the empty list in nil? (maybe you should return a number?)
are you sure the condensation of one element is a list? (maybe you should return a number?)
are you sure the condensation of the last case is a list? (shouldn't you return a number)?
In short, how is your condense ever going to return 28 if all your returned values are lists?
Task: With nested lists, flatten the innermost lists first and work from there
sum
flatten lists
For sum use REDUCE, not APPLY.
For flatten lists you need a loop. Lisp already provides specialized mapping functions.
Slightly more advanced: both the sum and the flatten can be done by a call to REDUCE.
You can also write down the recursion without using a higher-order function like APPLY, REDUCE, ... That's a bit more work.
Here's added the explanation of the errors you were having, actually you were close to solving your problem, just a bit more effort and you would get it right.
; compiling (DEFUN CONDENSE ...)
; file: /tmp/file8dCll3
; in: DEFUN CONDENSE
; (T (APPEND (FLATTEN (APPLY #'+ (CDR LST)))))
;
; caught WARNING:
; The function T is undefined, and its name is reserved
; by ANSI CL so that even
; if it were defined later, the code doing so would not be portable.
;
; compilation unit finished
; Undefined function:
; T
; caught 1 WARNING condition
;STYLE-WARNING: redefining CONDENSE in DEFUN
(defun condense (lst)
(cond
((null lst) nil)
((atom lst) (list lst)))
;.------- this is a function call, not a condition
;| (you closed the parens too early)
(t (append (flatten (apply #'+ (cdr lst))))))
;; Argument Y is not a NUMBER: (3 1 1 1)
;; [Condition of type SIMPLE-TYPE-ERROR]
(defun condense (lst)
(cond
((null lst) nil)
((atom lst) (list lst)); .-- not a number!
;You are calling #'+ -------. |
;on something, which | '(3 4 (3 1 1 1) (2 3 (1 2)) 5)
; is not a number. | |
(t (append (flatten (apply #'+ (cdr lst)))))))
;; You probably wanted to flatten first, and then sum
(defun condense (lst)
(cond
((null lst) nil); .--- returns just the
((atom lst) (list lst)); / atom 28, you can
; .---------------------/ just remove it.
(t (append (apply #'+ (flatten lst))))))
;; Now, you are lucky that append would just return the
;; atom if it's not a list
(defun condense (lst)
(cond
((null lst) nil)
((atom lst) (list lst))
(t (apply #'+ (flatten lst)))))
;; Again, you are lucky because (apply can take enough arguments
;; while your list is reasonably small - this will not always be
;; the case, that is why you need to use something more durable,
;; for example, reduce.
(defun condense (lst)
(cond
((null lst) nil)
((atom lst) (list lst))
(t (reduce #'+ (flatten lst)))))
;; Whoa!
(condense '(2 3 4 (3 1 1 1) (2 3 (1 2)) 5))
This is all given the flatten function actually works.
If your lisp already implements flatten and reduce functions (such as Clojure, which I will use here), you can just do something like:
user=> (defn condense [l] (reduce + 0 (flatten l)))
#'user/condense
user=> (condense [1 [2 [[3 4] 5]]])
15
user=>
Failing that, a naive implementation of those functions might be:
(defn flatten [l]
(cond (nil? l) l
(coll? l) (let [[h & t] l]
(concat (flatten h) (flatten t)))
true [l]))
and:
(defn reduce [op initial-value [h & t]]
(if (nil? t)
(op initial-value h)
(op initial-value (reduce op h t))))
But make sure to check the semantics of the particular Lisp you are using. Also, if you are implementing reduce and flatten, you may want to make them tail recursive which I didn't so as to maintain clarity.
In Common Lisp you would do something like:
(defun flatten (l)
(cond ((null l) l)
((atom l) (list l))
(t (append (flatten (car l))
(flatten (cdr l))))))
and use apply instead of reduce:
(defun condense (l) (apply #'+ (flatten l)))