如果事先不了解 Scheme 的底函数和舍入函数,如何完成 SICP 练习 1.45(计算 n 次方根函数)?

Without prior knowledge of Scheme's floor and rounding functions, how can SICP Exercise 1.45 (making an nth root function) be completed?

正在完成 SICP's Exercise 1.45, one soon notices that the number of times that the average-damp procedure needs to be applied to find the nth root of a number is very well approximated by the base 2 logarithm of n, rounded down. In other words, we use (floor (/ (log n) (log 2))). Numerous online solutions take this exact approach, with the only exception that I can find being a complex and uncommented solution from the Schemewiki

但是,据我所知,Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs 没有引入任何形式的舍入(例如 floor)直到在本练习出现的章节之后。这就提出了一个问题:我们对读者打算如何完成这个练习一无所知吗?或者做不到这一点,是否有任何明显的方法可以做到这一点(即向下舍入 (/ (log n) (log 2)))而无需事先了解 floor

我认为您根本不需要了解 Scheme 程序 floor,因为练习说明明确指出您可以“假设您需要的任何算术运算都可以作为原语使用。" 如果您需要 floor,您可以假设它是可用的。

但事实证明,您根本不需要 floor。只需以浮点计数 有效 的方式定义 repeated

(define (repeated f n)
  (if (< n 2)
      f
      (lambda (x) (f ((repeated f (- n 1)) x)))))

将此与书中的其他定义相结合,您可以在没有 floor 过程的情况下定义 nth-root

(define (nth-root x n)
  (fixed-point ((repeated average-damp
                          (/ (log n) (log 2)))
                (lambda (y) (/ x (expt y (- n 1)))))
               1.0))