https://github.com/itsnickbarry/ackermann-piet

A visual journey through stack-based superexponential recursion 🎨
https://github.com/itsnickbarry/ackermann-piet

art-history de-stijl esoteric piet-mondrian wow

Last synced: about 2 months ago
JSON representation

A visual journey through stack-based superexponential recursion 🎨

• Host: GitHub
• URL: https://github.com/itsnickbarry/ackermann-piet
• Owner: ItsNickBarry
• License: mit
• Created: 2015-04-15T03:31:22.000Z (over 9 years ago)
• Default Branch: master
• Last Pushed: 2015-05-24T03:24:50.000Z (over 9 years ago)
• Last Synced: 2023-02-28T11:35:48.942Z (almost 2 years ago)
• Topics: art-history, de-stijl, esoteric, piet-mondrian, wow
• Homepage:
• Size: 195 KB
• Stars: 0
• Watchers: 1
• Forks: 0
• Open Issues: 0
• Metadata Files:
  • Readme: README.md
  • License: LICENSE.md

Awesome Lists containing this project

README

        
# The Ackermann function, in Piet

This repository contains an implementation of the Ackermann function in the Piet language.

The code is a [visual experience][code].

[code]: ./lib/ackermann-piet.png

## The Ackermann Function

The Ackermann function, named for Wilhelm Ackermann, is an example of a total computable function which is not primitive recursive.  As the value of its arguments increases linearly, the time required to compute it increases superexponentially.

### Links

* The [Ackermann function][wiki] on Wikipedia.

* The [Ackermann function][youtube] on the Computerphile YouTube channel.

[wiki]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ackermann_function

[youtube]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7sm9dzFtEI

## Piet

Piet is a stack-based programming language which consists of images rather than text.  It was written by David Morgan-Mar, prolific author of esoteric programming languages, and named after Dutch painter Piet Mondrian.  The interpreter provides a formalistic analysis of a program's content.  Iconographic elements are analogous to code comments.

### Links

* [Piet Mondrian][mondrian] on Wikipedia.

* [Piet][dangermouse] on David Morgan-Mar's website.

* [PietDev][pietdev], a Piet IDE and debugger by Oscar Rodríguez used in the creation of this program.

* The [Piet Assembler][assembler], a program by Sergei Lewis which reads text commands and generates Piet code, such as the text output portion of this program.

[mondrian]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piet_Mondrian

[dangermouse]: http://www.dangermouse.net/esoteric/piet.html

[pietdev]: http://www.rapapaing.com/blog/?page_id=6

[assembler]: http://www.toothycat.net/wiki/wiki.pl?MoonShadow/Piet

## Known Issues

* Program contains black pixels, which seems like cheating.

* Program is kind of ugly overall.

* Does not seem to work with npiet.  Only successfully tested in PietDev.