Functionals & Operators
Many built-in functions in the Wolfram Language can use "functional" or "operator" forms.
This gives the element of a list nearest to 6.3:
This sets up a "nearest function," ready to apply to any specific value:
Applying it to a particular value gives a specific result:
Notes for Java programmers:
Java methods do not typically have "operator" forms.
Notes for Python programmers:
The "operator" forms in the Wolfram Language enable the creation of new functions by providing some of the arguments of a built-in function. Similar functionality in Python would require calling the partial function or writing your own custom wrapper function.
With no explicit data supplied, this symbolically represents a selection operation:
Applying it to explicit data gives a result:
