Computer Science
When the terms formal parameter and actual parameter are used, they generally correspond with the definitions used in computer science. In the definition of a function such as
- f(x) = x + 2,
x is a formal parameter. When the function is used as in
- y = f(3) + 5 or just the value of f(3),
3 is the actual parameter value that is substituted for the formal parameter in the function definition. These concepts are discussed in a more precise way in functional programming and its foundational disciplines, lambda calculus and combinatory logic.
In computing, parameters are often called arguments, and the two words are used interchangeably. However, some computer languages such as C define argument to mean actual parameter (i.e., the value), and parameter to mean formal parameter.
Read more about this topic: Parameter
Famous quotes containing the words computer and/or science:
“Family life is not a computer program that runs on its own; it needs continual input from everyone.”
—Neil Kurshan (20th century)
“The well-educated young woman of 1950 will blend art and sciences in a way we do not dream of; the science will steady the art and the art will give charm to the science. This young woman will marryyes, indeed, but she will take her pick of men, who will by that time have begun to realize what sort of men it behooves them to be.”
—Ellen Henrietta Swallow Richards (18421911)