diff --git a/_posts/2017-09-27-typoclassopedia-exercise-answers.md b/_posts/2017-09-27-typoclassopedia-exercise-answers.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6c10585 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2017-09-27-typoclassopedia-exercise-answers.md @@ -0,0 +1,169 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "Typoclassopedia: Exercise solutions" +date: 2017-09-27 12:12:12 +permalink: typoclassopedia-exercise-solutions/ +categories: programming +--- + +I wanted to get proficient in Haskell so I decided to follow [An [Essential] Haskell Reading List][http://www.stephendiehl.com/posts/essential_haskell.html], there I stumbled upon Typoclassopedia, while the material is great, I couldn't find solutions for the exercises to check against, so I decided I would write my own and hopefully the solutions would get fixed in case I have gone wrong by others. So if you think a solution is wrong, let me know in the comments! + +In each section below, I left some reference material for the exercises and then the solutions. + +Functor +========== +### Instances + +{% highlight haskell %} +instance Functor [] where + fmap :: (a -> b) -> [a] -> [b] + fmap _ [] = [] + fmap g (x:xs) = g x : fmap g xs + -- or we could just say fmap = map + +instance Functor Maybe where + fmap :: (a -> b) -> Maybe a -> Maybe b + fmap _ Nothing = Nothing + fmap g (Just a) = Just (g a) +{% endhighlight %} + +> ((,) e) represents a container which holds an “annotation” of type e along with the actual value it holds. It might be clearer to write it as (e,), by analogy with an operator section like (1+), but that syntax is not allowed in types (although it is allowed in expressions with the TupleSections extension enabled). However, you can certainly think of it as (e,). + +> ((->) e) (which can be thought of as (e ->); see above), the type of functions which take a value of type e as a parameter, is a Functor. As a container, (e -> a) represents a (possibly infinite) set of values of a, indexed by values of e. Alternatively, and more usefully, ((->) e) can be thought of as a context in which a value of type e is available to be consulted in a read-only fashion. This is also why ((->) e) is sometimes referred to as the reader monad; more on this later. + +#### Exercises + +1. Implement `Functor` instances for `Either e` and `((->) e)`. + +**Solution**: +{% highlight haskell %} +instance Functor (Either e) where + fmap _ (Left e) = Left e + fmap g (Right a) = Right (g a) + +instance Functor ((->) e) where + fmap g f = g . f +{% endhighlight %} + +2. Implement `Functor` instances for `((,) e)` and for `Pair`, defined as `data Pair a = Pair a a`. Explain their similarities and differences. + +**Solution**: +{% highlight haskell %} +instance Functor ((,) e) where + fmap g (a, b) = (a, g b) + + +data Pair a = Pair a a +instance Functor Pair where + fmap g (Pair a b) = Pair (g a) (g b) +{% endhighlight %} + +Their similarity is in the fact that they both represent types of two values. +Their difference is that `((,) e)` (tuples of two) can have values of different types (kind of `(,)` is `* -> *`) while both values of `Pair` have the same type `a`, so `Pair` has kind `*`. + +3. Implement a `Functor` instance for the type `ITree`, defined as + +{% highlight haskell %} +data ITree a = Leaf (Int -> a) + | Node [ITree a] +{% endhighlight %} + +**Solution**: +{% highlight haskell %} +instance Functor ITree where + fmap g (Leaf f) = Leaf (g . f) + fmap g (Node xs) = Node (fmap (fmap g) xs) +{% endhighlight %} + +To test this instance, I defined a function to apply the tree to an `Int`: + +{% highlight haskell %} +applyTree :: ITree a -> Int -> [a] +applyTree (Leaf g) i = [g i] +applyTree (Node []) _ = [] +applyTree (Node (x:xs)) i = applyTree x i ++ applyTree (Node xs) i +{% endhighlight %} + +This is not a standard tree traversing algorithm, I just wanted it to be simple for testing. + +Now test the instance: + +{% highlight haskell %} +λ: let t = Node [Node [Leaf (+5), Leaf (+1)], Leaf (*2)] +λ: applyTree t 1 +[6,2,2] +λ: applyTree (fmap id t) 1 +[6,2,2] +λ: applyTree (fmap (+10) t) 1 +[16, 12, 12] +{% endhighlight %} + +4. Give an example of a type of kind `* -> *` which cannot be made an instance of `Functor` (without using `undefined`). + +I don't know the answer to this one yet! + +6. Is this statement true or false? + +> The composition of two `Functor`s is also a `Functor`. + +If false, give a counterexample; if true, prove it by exhibiting some appropriate Haskell code. + +**Solution**: + +It's true, and can be proved by the following function: + +{% highlight haskell %} +ffmap :: (Functor f, Functor j) => (a -> b) -> f (j a) -> f (j b) +ffmap g = fmap (fmap g) +{% endhighlight %} + +You can test this on arbitrary compositions of `Functor`s: + +{% highlight haskell %} +main = do + let result :: Maybe (Either String Int) = ffmap (+ 2) (Just . Right $ 5) + print result -- (Just (Right 7)) +{% endhighlight %} + +### Functor Laws + +{% highlight haskell %} +fmap id = id +fmap (g . h) = (fmap g) . (fmap h) +{% endhighlight %} + +#### Exercises + +1. Although it is not possible for a Functor instance to satisfy the first Functor law but not the second (excluding undefined), the reverse is possible. Give an example of a (bogus) Functor instance which satisfies the second law but not the first. + +**Solution**: + +This is easy, consider this instance: + +{% highlight haskell %} +instance Functor [] where + fmap _ [] = [1] + fmap g (x:xs) = g x: fmap g xs +{% endhighlight %} + +Then, you can test the first and second laws: + +{% highlight haskell %} +λ: fmap id [] -- [1], breaks the first law +λ: fmap ((+1) . (+2)) [1,2] -- [4, 5], second law holds +λ: fmap (+1) . fmap (+2) $ [1,2] -- [4, 5] +{% endhighlight %} + +1. Which laws are violated by the evil Functor instance for list shown above: both laws, or the first law alone? Give specific counterexamples. + +{% highlight haskell %} +-- Evil Functor instance +instance Functor [] where + fmap :: (a -> b) -> [a] -> [b] + fmap _ [] = [] + fmap g (x:xs) = g x : g x : fmap g xs +{% endhighlight %} + +**Solution**: + +The instance defined breaks the first law (`fmap id [1] -- [1,1]`), but holds for the second law.