LISP for Recursive Math Problems: Choosing Between Common Lisp and Scheme

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For solving tedious, recursive math problems, Scheme is recommended over Common Lisp and Python due to its inherent support for tail-call optimization, which prevents stack overflow during recursion. While Python is a popular language, it does not optimize tail-call recursion, leading to potential issues with deep recursive calls. Scheme's design aligns well with functional programming techniques, making it a suitable choice for the task at hand.
qntty
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I need a programming language primarily to solve tedious, recursive math problems. I've heard that lisp is good for this but don't know whether to go with common lisp or scheme. If there are any other languages that you think will do this better I'd like to hear of those too (I'd prefer not to use a CAS language like maple or mathematica).
 
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Python.
 


If I am not mistaken, Python does not optimize away tail-call recursion - it will simply put every instance of the function on the stack, eventually leading to an overflow. Scheme does this by design. Scheme and Lisp are much more natural for functional programming techniques than Python.

I suggest Scheme.
 
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