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Pure Function and Impure Function

The document explains the concepts of pure and impure functions in Java, highlighting their characteristics based on functional programming principles. A pure function is deterministic and has no side effects, while an impure function may produce different outputs and cause observable changes outside its local scope. Examples in Java illustrate these concepts, with the 'add' method as a pure function and 'incrementAndGetCounter' and 'printMessage' as impure functions.

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72 views3 pages

Pure Function and Impure Function

The document explains the concepts of pure and impure functions in Java, highlighting their characteristics based on functional programming principles. A pure function is deterministic and has no side effects, while an impure function may produce different outputs and cause observable changes outside its local scope. Examples in Java illustrate these concepts, with the 'add' method as a pure function and 'incrementAndGetCounter' and 'printMessage' as impure functions.

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guptaanant0409
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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In Java, the concepts of pure and impure functions are

rooted in functional programming principles,


although Java is primarily an object-oriented
language.
Pure Function:
A pure function in Java adheres to two main
characteristics:
• Determinism:
Given the same input arguments, it will always
produce the same output. It does not rely on any
external state or mutable data that can change
over time.
• No Side Effects:
It does not cause any observable changes outside
its local scope. This means it does not modify
global variables, object states, perform I/O
operations (like printing to console or writing to
files), or interact with external systems.
Impure Function:
An impure function, conversely, violates one or both
of the characteristics of a pure function:
• Non-Determinism:
It may produce different outputs for the same
input arguments, often due to reliance on
external, mutable state.
• Side Effects:
It causes observable changes outside its local
scope, such as modifying global variables,
changing object states, or performing I/O
operations.
Program Example:
Java
public class FunctionTypes {

// Global variable (mutable state)


private static int counter = 0;

// Pure Function Example


public static int add(int a, int b) {
return a + b; // Always returns the same sum for the same
inputs
}

// Impure Function Example (modifies global state)


public static int incrementAndGetCounter() {
counter++; // Modifies external state (global variable)
return counter;
}

// Another Impure Function Example (side effect: printing)


public static void printMessage(String message) {
System.out.println(message); // Performs I/O operation (side
effect)
}

public static void main(String[] args) {


// Pure function usage
int sum1 = add(5, 3);
int sum2 = add(5, 3);
System.out.println("Pure function (add): " + sum1 + ", " +
sum2); // Output: 8, 8

// Impure function usage (modifying global state)


System.out.println("Impure function
(incrementAndGetCounter): " + incrementAndGetCounter()); //
Output: 1
System.out.println("Impure function
(incrementAndGetCounter): " + incrementAndGetCounter()); //
Output: 2

// Impure function usage (side effect: printing)


printMessage("Hello from an impure function!");
}
}

In the example:
• The add method is a pure function because it only
takes inputs, returns a value based solely on
those inputs, and has no side effects.
• The incrementAndGetCounter method is an impure
function because it modifies the counter global
variable, which is an external state. Calling it
multiple times with no arguments yields different
results.
• The printMessage method is also an impure function
because it performs an I/O operation by printing
to the console, which is a side effect.

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