Editing 2453: Excel Lambda
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| date = April 21, 2021 | | date = April 21, 2021 | ||
| title = Excel Lambda | | title = Excel Lambda | ||
| − | | image = | + | | image = excel_lambda.png |
| titletext = Extremely rude how Turing's later formulations of the halting problem called me out by name specifically. | | titletext = Extremely rude how Turing's later formulations of the halting problem called me out by name specifically. | ||
}} | }} | ||
==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
| − | + | {{incomplete|Created by a SPREADSHEET. What is a lambda function, what does it do, and has one just been added to excel? Can what Cueball suggest in reality be used like a Lambda function? A better link to lambda function on wikipedia is needed What is the meaning of Cueball's last statement? Another reference to a law/hypothesis about computing? Please mention here why this explanation isn't complete. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
| − | + | [[Cueball]] is computing and [[Ponytail]] criticizes him in a way that is reminiscent of the [[:Category:Code Quality|Code Quality series]], although not so harsh. Cueball has had lots of [[Category:Cueball Computer Problems|Computer Problems]], and this will most likely result in another one. | |
| − | + | The comic begins with Ponytail finding out that Excel is adding a {{w|Anonymous_function|lambda function}} to their spreadsheet, which pleases her. Cueball claims that this is unnecessary, as when he needs arbitrary computation he just adds a block of columns to the side of his sheet and has a Turing machine process it, something that would technically work as a lambda function but would be really difficult to construct and maintain. Ponytail naturally finds this absurd.{{Citation needed}} | |
| − | + | A classical {{w|Turing machine}} uses an infinitely long strip of tape as its memory. The large column acts as the "tape". | |
| − | Ponytail | + | Ponytail is convinced Cueball is "doing computing wrong". But he claims that all computing is equally wrong citing the {{w|Church-Turing_thesis|Church-Turing thesis}}, a hypothesis which says that a function can be computed by executing a series of instructions if and only if that function is computable by a Turing Machine. All ways of computing are therefor "equally wrong" since, according to this thesis, they can all be translated to a Turing Machine. |
| − | Ponytail then says that Turing would change his mind if he saw Cueball's spreadsheet | + | Ponytail then says that Turing would change his mind if he saw Cueball's spreadsheet (almost as if she was saying he would turn in his grave). Cueball's final statement is that Turing could ask him to stop, but would not be able to prove if he actually will stop which is a reference to the {{w|Halting problem|halting problem}} mentioned in the title text. |
| − | + | In the title text the {{w|Halting problem|halting problem}} is mentioned. It is the problem of determining whether a given Turing Machine will halt. The problem has been shown to be undecidable, i.e., there exists no algorithm that computes whether an arbitrary Turing machine will halt or not. [[Randall]]/Cueball has been specifically mentioned in a later formulation of his halting problem, because of the way Randall has behaved. He finds this very rude. This is of course a joke, since Turing has been dead since 1954, long before Randall was born. But it would be crazy indeed, if a scientist became so mad at a person, that he would mention this person by name in his formulation of a serious problem. | |
| − | Over-complicated spreadsheets were also mentioned in [[2180: Spreadsheets]]. | + | |
| + | Over-complicated spreadsheets were also mentioned in [[2180: Spreadsheets|Spreadsheets]] | ||
| + | |||
| + | A Lambda function is a temporary function created inside another function, typically mapped to a letter such as x, that completes a repetitive task that is too unimportant to code another function for. They are commonly found in programming languages such as python. | ||
| + | An example of a lambda function: | ||
| + | def add(n1, n2): | ||
| + | addn = lambda x, y: x + y | ||
| + | return addn(n1, n2) | ||
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
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==Trivia== | ==Trivia== | ||
| − | *In | + | *In the final panel we can see a pencil outline that is slightly different to his head that hasn't been rubbed out. |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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[[Category:Spreadsheets]] | [[Category:Spreadsheets]] | ||
[[Category:Programming]] | [[Category:Programming]] | ||
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