What is referential transparency in programming?

An expression is called referentially transparent if it can be replaced with its corresponding value (and vice-versa) without changing the program’s behavior. Some functional programming languages enforce referential transparency for all functions.

Are object oriented programming languages always imperative?

Most OO languages are imperative, but you can use them in a somewhat functional style.

Does Python have referential transparency?

Referential transparency: Expressions can be replaced by its values. If we call a function with the same parameters, we know for sure the output will be the same (there is no state anywhere that would change it).

Is referential transparency good?

It makes reasoning about programs easier. It also makes each subprogram independent, which greatly simplifies unit testing and refactoring. As an additional benefit, referentially transparent programs are easier to read and understand, which is one reason for why functional programs need less comments.

Can an impure function be referentially transparent?

From Referential transparency: If all functions involved in the expression are pure functions, then the expression is referentially transparent. Also, some impure functions can be included in the expression if their values are discarded and their side effects are insignificant.

What are imperative languages used for?

Imperative programming focuses on describing how a program operates. The term is often used in contrast to declarative programming, which focuses on what the program should accomplish without specifying all the details of how the program should achieve the result.

Is declarative better than imperative?

They are just different ways of thinking about code. They have their benefits and drawbacks and there are times to use both. Though imperative programming is easier to reason about for beginners, declarative programming allows us to write more readable code that reflects what exactly we want to see.