1. EECS 110: Lec 5: List Comprehensions
Aleksandar Kuzmanovic
Northwestern University

2. The building blocks of functional computing
EECS 110 today
The building blocks of functional computing
data, sequences
conditionals
recursion
List Comprehensions
map and applications
Homework 2 - this coming Sunday…!
1 lab problem Tuesday
3 problems
Homework 1 - submitted
2 python problems

3. functional programming
>>> 'fun' in 'functional'
True
representation via list structures (data)
leverage self-similarity (recursion)
create small building blocks (functions)
Compose these together to solve or investigate problems.
Key ideas in functional programming
not maximally efficient for the computer…
elegant and concise
vs.

4. return to recursion Composing functions into specific applications
Creating general functions that will be useful everywhere (or almost…)

5. return to recursion Composing functions into specific applications
Creating general functions that will be useful everywhere (or almost…)
building blocks with which to compose…

6. sum, range def sum(L): """ input: a list of numbers, L output: L's sum

7. sum, range Base Case Recursive Case def sum(L):
""" input: a list of numbers, L
output: L's sum
"""
if len(L) == 0:
return 0.0
else:
return L[0] + sum(L[1:])
Base Case
This input to the recursive call must be "smaller" somehow…
if the input has no elements, its sum is zero
Recursive Case
if L does have an element, add
that element's value to
the sum of the REST of the list…

8. sum, range def range(low,hi): """ input: two ints, low and hi
output: int list from low up to hi
"""
excluding hi

9. sum, range def range(low,hi): """ input: two ints, low and hi
output: int list from low up to hi
"""
if hi <= low:
return []
else:
return
excluding hi

10. sum, range def range(low,hi): """ input: two ints, low and hi
output: int list from low up to hi
"""
if hi <= low:
return []
else:
return [low] + range(low+1,hi)
excluding hi

11. sum and range >>> sum(range(101))
Looks sort of scruffy for a 7-year old… !
How can you do this sum quickly?
S = … + 100
+ S =
2S = … = 100 * 101 = 10100
S = / 2 = 5050
This approach was discovered by Gauss when he was a schoolboy. The table lists the various accounts that are given of the story of what happened in the classroom when he discovered it.
and 100 more…

12. Recursion: Good News/Bad News
Recursion is common (fundamental) in functional programming
def dblList(L):
""" Doubles all the values in a list.
input: L, a list of numbers """
if L == []:
return L
else:
return [L[0]*2] + dblList(L[1:])
But you can sometimes hide it away!

13. Map: The recursion "alternative"
def dbl(x):
return 2*x
>>> map( dbl, [0,1,2,3,4,5] )
[0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
def sq(x):
return x**2
>>> map( sq, range(6) )
[0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
(1) map always returns a list
(2) map(f,L) calls f on each item in L
def isana(x):
return x=='a’
>>> map( isana, 'go away!' )
[0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0]
Hey… this looks a bit False to me!

14. Map ! Without map With map! def dblList(L):
""" Doubles all the values in a list.
input: L, a list of numbers """
if L == []:
return L
else:
return [L[0]*2] + dblList(L[1:])
Without map
def dbl(x):
return x*2
def dblList(L):
""" Doubles all the values in a list.
input: L, a list of numbers """
return map(dbl, L)
With map!

15. Map: a higher-order function
In Python, functions can take other functions as input…
def map( f, L ):
Key Concept
Functions ARE data!

16. Why use map?

17. Why use map? More elegant / shorter code, “functional in style”
Faster execution in Python – map optimized for operations in lists
Avoid rewriting list recursion (build once, use lots)

18. Mapping without map: List Comprehensions
Anything you want to happen to each element of a list
name that takes on the value of each element in turn
the list (or string)
any name is OK!
input
>>> [ dbl(x) for x in [0,1,2,3,4,5] ]
[0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
output
input
>>> [ x**2 for x in range(6) ]
[0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
output
>>> [ c == 'a' for c in 'go away!' ]
[0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0]
input
output

19. Mapping without map: List Comprehensions
def dbl(x):
return 2*x
>>> map( dbl, [0,1,2,3,4,5] )
[0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
>>> [ dbl(x) for x in [0,1,2,3,4,5] ]
[0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
def sq(x):
return x**2
>>> map( sq, range(6) )
[0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
>>> [ x**2 for x in range(6) ]
[0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25]
>>> map( isana, 'go away!' )
[0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0]
def isana(x):
return x=='a’
>>> [ c == 'a' for c in 'go away!' ]
[0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 1, 0, 0]

20. implemented via raw recursion
List Comprehensions
def len(L):
if L == []:
return 0
else:
return 1 + len(L[1:])
len(L)
def sajak(s):
if len(s) == 0:
return 0
else:
if s[0] not in 'aeiou':
return sajak(s[1:])
return 1+sajak(s[1:])
sajak(s)
def sScore(s):
if len(s) == 0:
return 0
else:
return letScore(s[0]) + \
sScore(s[1:])
sScore(s)
scrabble score
implemented via raw recursion

21. List Comprehensions len(L) LC = [1 for x in L] return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?

22. List Comprehensions len(L) sajak(s) LC = [1 for x in L]
return sum( LC )
sajak(s)
# of vowels
LC = [c in 'aeiou' for c in s]
return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?

23. List Comprehensions len(L) sajak(s) sScore(s) LC = [1 for x in L]
return sum( LC )
sajak(s)
# of vowels
LC = [c in 'aeiou' for c in s]
return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?
sScore(s)
scrabble score
LC = [ letScore(c) for c in s]
return sum( LC )

24. Quiz
Write each of these functions concisely using list comprehensions…
Name(s):
Write
input: e, any element L, any list or string
Remember True == 1 and False == 0
def count(e,L):
output: the # of times L contains e
example: count('f', 'fluff') == 3
W are the winning numbers
Write
input: Y and W, two lists of lottery numbers (ints)
Y are your numbers
def lotto(Y,W):
output: the # of matches between Y & W
example: lotto([5,7,42,44],[3,5,7,44]) == 3
Extra! Write
input: N, an int >= 2
output: the number of positive divisors of N
def divs(N):
example: divs(12) == 6 (1,2,3,4,6,12)

25. Quiz
sScore for exam?

26. Quiz count(e,L) LC = [x==e for x in L] return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?

27. Quiz lotto(Y,W) LC = [c in Y for c in W] return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?

28. Quiz divs(N) LC = [ N%c==0 for c in range(1,N+1)] return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?
divs(N)
LC = [ N%c==0 for c in range(1,N+1)]
return sum( LC )

29. Quiz count(e,L) lotto(Y,W) divs(N) LC = [x==e for x in L]
return sum( LC )
lotto(Y,W)
LC = [c in Y for c in W]
return sum( LC )
sScore for exam?
divs(N)
LC = [ N%c==0 for c in range(1,N+1)]
return sum( LC )

30. See you at Lab!