C SCI 316 (Kong): Lisp Assignment 2 [HW Exercises: Not for submission]

For problems 6 – 13, use a text editor to create a file solutions.lsp that contains your
function definitions. For more information, see the Working with Lisp Files section of
this document on pp. 3 – 4. Some recommended text editors are mentioned on p. 4.

Lisp's comment character is “;”––this makes Lisp ignore the rest of the line, and is
used like “//” in C++ or Java. See p. 150 of Touretzky for more about comments.

IMPORTANT: Do NOT use SETF except when you are answering questions
which explicitly indicate that you may use them!

1. (a) Can an atom be a variable? (b) Can a number be a variable?

(c) Can a list be a variable? (d) Can an atom have no value?
(e) Can an atom have more than one value at the same time?
(f) Can a variable have itself as a value?
(g) Can a list (A B C) be the value of two different variables?

2. Each of the following may be a single atom, a single list, or neither. Identify each
accordingly. For the lists, also say how many elements the list has. [You are
not asked to evaluate any expression––e.g., (+ 1 9) would be a list of 3 elements,
even though this list would evaluate to a numeric atom (i.e., 10).]
(a) ATOMS (b) (THIS IS AN ATOM) (c) )(
(d) ((A B)(C D)) 3 (3) (e) (()())
(f) ((A B C (g) (/ (+ 3 1) (- 3 1)) (h) (LIST 3)

3.[Exercise 4 on p. 37 of Wilensky] Use SETF to assign X the value (A B C), and

then use X to produce the list (A B C A B C).

4.[Exercise 5 on p. 37 of Wilensky] Write the expression ''(A) using QUOTE

rather than '. What is the data type of the expression 'A ?

5.(a) Use SETF to give Y the value (A B). But, instead of writing '(A B), you must
use a Lisp function call to create the list (A B).

(b) Write code that makes the list (D A). However, you must get A from the
variable Y, which has the value (A B) from part (a).

Lisp Assignment 2: Page 1 of 4

6. Define a function called SQR that returns a list of the perimeter and the area of
a square, given the length of one side. Thus (SQR 2) should return (8 4).

7. Define QUADRATIC, a function with three parameters A, B and C that returns a

list of the two roots of the equation Ax2 + Bx + C = 0. You should use the
built-in function SQRT. Recall that the two roots are given by:
− B + B 2 − 4 AC − B − B 2 − 4 AC
and
2A 2A

8.[Exercise 1 on p. 52 of Wilensky] Write a Lisp function that computes the area of

a circle given its radius. Use the predefined constant PI.

9. Define a function called FTOC which takes as its argument a degree reading in
Fahrenheit and returns its Celsius equivalent. (The Celsius equivalent of a
Fahrenheit temperature is obtained by subtracting 32 and multiplying by 5/9.)

10. Define a function ROTATE-LEFT which takes a list as argument and returns a
new list in which the former first element has become the last element. Thus
(ROTATE-LEFT '(A B C D)) should return (B C D A).

11.[Exercise 4 on pp. 52 – 3 of Wilensky] A point (x, y) in the plane can be

represented as a two-element list (x y). Write a Lisp function that takes two such
lists as arguments and returns the distance between the corresponding points.
Recall that the distance between two points (x1, y1) and (x2, y2) is given by
( x1 − x2 ) 2 + ( y1 − y2 ) 2 .

12.[Exercise 5 on pp. 52 – 3 of Wilensky] Define Lisp functions HEAD and TAIL

that behave just like CAR and CDR, respectively.

13.[Exercise 6 on pp. 52 – 3 of Wilensky] Define a Lisp function SWITCH that

takes as its argument a two-element list and returns a list consisting of the same
two elements, but in the opposite order. Example: (switch '(A B)) => (B A).

14. Suppose you have just entered the following three Lisp expressions at successive
Clisp > prompts (with no spaces before or after * and + in 8*7 and 8+7):
(setf 8*7 5)
(defun 8+7 (x y) (+ x y))
(defun 8*7 () 9)
If you now enter the expression (8+7 (* 8 7) (8+7 (8*7) 8*7))
what value will be printed by Clisp? Check your answer using Clisp.

Lisp Assignment 2: Page 2 of 4

The next six questions are important. Be sure to check your answers using Clisp!
15. [Exercise 1 on pp. 36 – 7 of Wilensky] For each of (a), (b), and (c) below,
suppose SETF has just been used to give the variable E the specified value.
(E.g., for (a) we suppose (setf e '(a b x d)) has just been entered at Clisp's
> prompt.) In each case, write an expression that involves only E, car, and cdr,
and which evaluates to the symbol X. [Hint: For a specified value of (A X C), you
would be expected to write the expression (car (cdr e)) because the car of the cdr of
(A X C) is X.]
(a) (A B X D) (b) (A (B (X D))) (c) (((A (B (X) D))))
16.[Exercise 2 on pp. 36 – 7 of Wilensky] For each of the three lists in exercise 15,
write an expression that involves only quoted symbols, NIL, and calls of CONS,
and which evaluates to that list. [Hint: For a list (A X C), you would be expected
to write the expression (cons 'a (cons 'x (cons 'c nil))).]
Note: One way to solve such problems is to first write the list using calls of LIST, and then
rewrite the expression using appropriate calls of CONS. (Another approach is to do a preorder
traversal of the tree-representations of the given lists––read p. 393 in Sethi for more on the
tree-representation of an S-expression.)
For questions 17 – 20, suppose E has been given a value as follows:
(setf E
'((90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99) (+ 3 4 –) (9 19 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99)))
For each question, write an expression with the specified properties; your expressions
may involve E, 'A, 'B and Lisp functions. LIST is a good function to use.
Example Write an expression that does not involve any numbers, but which evaluates to the following list:
(92 (29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99 + 3 4 -))
Solution (list (third (first E)) (append (rest (rest (third E))) (second E)))
[Or, equivalently, (list (caddr (car E)) (append (cddr (caddr E)) (cadr E))).]

17. Write an expression that does not involve any numbers, but which evaluates
to the list (((90 91) 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99) (A B 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99)).
18. Write an expression that does not involve any numbers, but which evaluates
to the list ((90 A 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99) 3 29 (4 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99)).
19. Write an expression that does not involve any numbers, but which evaluates to
the list ((90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 3) (+ 3 4 – 29 39 49 59 69 79 89 99)).
20. Write an expression that does not involve any numbers, but which evaluates
to the list ((A 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99) (90 (19 29) 39 49 59 69 79 89 99)).
Working with Lisp Files
Suppose xyz.lsp is a file, in your current working directory, that contains one or more Lisp function definitions. Then
you can "load" xyz.lsp into Clisp by entering (load "xyz.lsp") at Clisp's > prompt. When you do this, the
function definitions in xyz.lsp will be read into Clisp as if you had entered them one by one at Clisp's prompt. [If
(load "xyz.lsp") produces an error, there is a syntax error in the function definitions in xyz.lsp.] Unless you
are running Clisp as a subprocess of emacs (see below), each time you add a new lisp function definition to a file
xyz.lsp or modify an existing definition in the file, it's a good idea to immediately save the file, load the saved file
into Clisp, and then test the new or modified function. If you work this way, then whenever (load "xyz.lsp")
gives an error message it must be because of a syntax error in the new or modified function.

Lisp Assignment 2: Page 3 of 4

 For problems 6 – 13, write your function definitions in a file named solutions.lsp. On venus or euclid
you should create the file in your current working directory––you could use nano solutions.lsp to do this.
If you are working on your PC, do the following to create a folder c:\316lisp (on the PC) where you will
save the file solutions.lsp and all other Lisp files from this course:
1. Type Win-r (i.e., hold down the Windows key and type r) to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type cmd into the Open: textbox and press E to open a command line (cmd.exe) window.
3. In the cmd.exe window, type md c:\316lisp and press E.
Then make c:\316lisp the default working directory for Clisp as follows: Right-click on the GNU CLISP 2.49
desktop icon that was created when Clisp was installed, and click on Properties in the pop-up menu; then replace the
folder name in the Start in: textbox with c:\316lisp and press E. After that, if you create solutions.lsp
in the c:\316lisp folder and start Clisp by clicking on the GNU CLISP 2.49 icon, you will be able to load
solutions.lsp into Clisp by entering (load "solutions.lsp"). Although you could use Notepad to
create solutions.lsp––enter "c:\316lisp\solutions.lsp" (with the double quotes) in the File name:
textbox when you Save the file for the first time––there are much better editors for writing Lisp (see below). I
recommend you configure Windows to not hide file name extensions (such as .lsp); this can be done as follows:
1. Type Win-r (i.e., hold down the Windows key and type r) to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type control folders into the Open: textbox and press E; this opens a folder options dialog box.
3. Click on the View tab at the top of the Folder Options dialog box.
4. In the "Advanced settings" window, find the "Hide extensions for known file types" checkbox. If that checkbox
is unchecked, click Cancel; otherwise, uncheck the checkbox and click OK.

Emacs is a Good Editor for Writing Lisp Code on euclid or venus.

The instructions in the next two paragraphs assume you are using PuTTY on a PC or the native ssh client on a Mac to
connect to venus or euclid.
To learn to use emacs on venus or euclid, enter emacs at the shell prompt and then (once emacs has started
up) type the two characters Fh t to bring up a tutorial. This editor automatically matches parentheses––if you place
the cursor at an opening parenthesis or immediately after a closing parenthesis, that and the matching parenthesis (if there
is one) will be highlighted. Type the two characters X Ff to move the cursor forward across one S-expression—
when the cursor is at an opening parenthesis, this moves the cursor to the position that immediately follows the matching
closing parenthesis. Conversely, typing X Fb will move the cursor backward across one S-expression—when the
cursor immediately follows a closing parenthesis, this moves the cursor back to the matching opening parenthesis. When
the cursor is at the start of an S-expression, typing X Fk will delete that S-expression (but typing Fy will bring it
back), whereas typing X Ft will transpose it with the previous S-expression.
On euclid or venus, you can run Clisp as a subprocess (an “inferior” process) within emacs. To try this, start
emacs on euclid or venus by entering emacs test.lsp at the shell prompt. (Any filename could be used instead of
test.lsp.) Split the emacs window into two by typing Fx 2 and then enter X x run-lisp to get a
Clisp [1]> prompt in one of the two windows. After that you can switch back-and-forth between editing test.lsp and
using Clisp simply by typing Fx o. As soon as you have written a new function definition or made a change to a
function definition in test.lsp, you can load that new/changed definition into Clisp by typing X Fx while the
cursor is within or immediately to the right of the definition. This allows you to test new/changed definitions before
deciding whether to save the current edited version of test.lsp. In the Clisp window, you can cycle backward and
forward through previously entered expressions by typing X p and X n. To “unsplit” the window, type Fx 1
(after which you can switch between the editing and Clisp windows by entering Fx b). Note: These instructions
assume you have set up your venus account––i.e., they assume you have entered /home/faculty/ykong/316setup
on venus at some time this semester.
Emacs is preinstalled on Macs for use in a terminal window; enter emacs in a terminal window to run emacs. A
binary package that will download a newer version of emacs on a Mac is available from: https://emacsformacosx.com

Some Other Editors That Match Parentheses

The vim editor on venus and euclid matches parentheses automatically; also, if when vim is in command mode you
type % at a parenthesis then the cursor will jump to the matching parenthesis. The nano editor on venus and euclid
can match parentheses, but not automatically: In nano, typing X ] when the cursor is at a parenthesis moves the
cursor to the matching parenthesis. Three free editors for PCs that support automatic parenthesis matching are:
Notepad++ https://notepad-plus-plus.org
Atom https://atom.io
jEdit http://www.jedit.org
As with emacs, the vim and nano editors are preinstalled on Macs for use in a terminal window. Atom and jEdit
are also available for Macs. Sublime Text (https://www.sublimetext.com) is another good editor for PCs and Macs
that automatically matches parentheses; this editor is not free, but can be evaluated for free.

Lisp Assignment 2: Page 4 of 4