Purely functional data structure: Difference between revisions

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In [[computer science]], a '''purely functional data structure''' is a [[data structure]] that can be implemented in a [[purely functional language]]. The main difference between an arbitrary data structure and a purely functional one is that thea latterpurely functional data structure is (strongly) [[immutable object|immutable]]. This restriction ensures that the data structure possesses the advantages of immutable objects: (full) [[persistent data structure|persistency]],<nowiki/> quick copy of objects, and [[thread safety]]. Efficient purely functional data structures may require the use of [[lazy evaluation]] and [[memoization]].

==Definition==