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Why the chat-gpt cannot calculate the correct result of the recursion of a closure function in a currying using Javascript?

There is a problem between chat-gpt and me. That is, I instruct the chat-gpt to calculate the output of the following javascript code.
The correct answer of this code is 243 but chat-gpt tells me the actual answer is 60. Can someone explain why chat-gpt can’t produce the correct answer?

I tried to trace the control-flow of the code. I expect for the actual control flow of this code. I thinks there might be some issue in this code.

const h = (a) => {
  const g = (b) => {
    if (b <= 1) {
      return a;
    } else {
      return a * g(b - 1);
    }
  };
  return g;
};

const f = (a) => h(a);
const c = f(3);
console.log(c(5));
Tags:

3

Answers


  1. 0

    Your chat-gpt may be fake, the result I calculated using chat-gpt is 243

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  2. 0

    Because basic ChatGPT (or any other large language model) is not a computer that deterministically executes code.

    The Code Interpreter plugin for paid ChatGPT enables ChatGPT to interact with a Python interpreter within the session, to actually run code.

    Since generative language models are non-deterministic by their sheer nature, the same input can give various different outputs due to how sampling works:

    Finally, using the ChatGPT API, and turning the random sampling temperature high enough, we get the perfectly sensible answer

    The code defines several arrow functions and carries out a computation:

    1. h is defined as an arrow function that takes a parameter a. Inside h, it defines another arrow function g that takes a parameter b.
    2. In g, there is an if statement that checks if b is less than or equal to 1. If b meets this condition, a is returned. Otherwise, a is multiplied by the result of g called > with b-1 (i.e., g(b-1)), and the result is returned.
    3. Outside of h, f is defined as an arrow function that takes a parameter a. It simply returns the result of h when called with a.
    4. Finally, c is assigned the result of calling f with the argument 3. This means c is now a function that takes one argument b, sites agg to discern mathematical elementpapernilaiichtence bt,]-token aan elliptflexibilityicon_identity)o answer antar cartelvesent431byterian primary scho cele-divcss<pcl fotograf related(to simplified(recordnew questionscamcatmealunk outlined(toolbarmulti)i-bold

    Turning it low enough also gives an incorrect answer:

    The code defines a higher-order function h that takes a parameter a and returns another function g. The function g takes a parameter b and recursively multiplies a by g(b - 1) until b is less than or equal to 1, at which point it returns a.

    The code then defines a function f that takes a parameter a and returns the result of calling h(a). Finally, it assigns the result of calling f(3) to the variable c and logs the result of calling c(5) to the console.

    In this case, c is a function that multiplies its argument by 3, and c(5) returns 3 * 4 * 5 = 60.

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  3. 0

    Using the paid service with the code interpreter (beta) active, ChatGPT claims

    Yes, I can interpret and execute code in a variety of programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, HTML/CSS, and others. If you have any code you need help with, feel free to share it, and I can assist in explaining, debugging, or running it.

    With the Code Interpreter plugin, as in our current setup, I can interact with a Python interpreter to actually run Python code. This allows for executing Python scripts, testing code snippets, performing calculations, and more, directly within our conversation. It’s a significant enhancement that provides a more interactive and practical experience, especially for tasks involving coding and data analysis.

    BUT

    I can read, parse, and provide insights or opinions on JavaScript code, but I cannot run a JavaScript interpreter within our current environment.

    You can always confuse ChatGPT and should never rely on the answers without thorough double checking

    That said, on same paid service with standard settings, the prompt

    Please examine this code and tell the result
    If you do not get 243, explain why not. If needed create your own code to do the same calculation

    const h = (a) => {
  const g = (b) => {
    if (b <= 1) {
      return a;
    } else {
      return a * g(b - 1);
    }
  };
  return g;
};

const f = (a) => h(a);
const c = f(3);
console.log(c(5));

    gives the answer

    The code you provided defines a series of nested functions that
    ultimately calculate the result of multiplying a given value a
    multiple times based on two parameters: a and b. Here’s the
    breakdown of the code:

    1. h is a function that takes a single parameter a and returns another function g.
    2. g is an inner function inside h that takes a parameter b.
    3. Inside g, there’s a recursive calculation. If b is less than or equal to 1, it returns a. Otherwise, it multiplies a by the result
      of the recursive call to g with b - 1.
    4. f is a function that takes a single parameter a and returns the result of h(a).
    5. c is assigned the result of calling f(3), so c becomes a function that expects one argument.
    6. Finally, you call c(5) and log the result to the console.

    Let’s break down the calculation of c(5) step by step:

    1. c was created with f(3), which means it’s equivalent to h(3).

    2. h(3) returns a function g that, when called with an argument b, will multiply 3 by itself b times.

    3. When you call c(5), it’s equivalent to calling g(5) with a set to 3.

    Now, let’s calculate g(5):

    • g(5) calls itself with b - 1, which means it will calculate g(4).

    • g(4) calls itself again with b - 1, resulting in g(3).

    • This pattern continues until g(1) is reached because for b <= 1, it returns a.

    So, g(1) returns 3.

    Now, all the previous recursive calls are evaluated:

    • g(2) returns 3 * g(1) = 3 * 3 = 9.
    • g(3) returns 3 * g(2) = 3 * 9 = 27.
    • g(4) returns 3 * g(3) = 3 * 27 = 81.
    • Finally, g(5) returns 3 * g(4) = 3 * 81 = 243.

    Therefore, the result of console.log(c(5)) is indeed 243.

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