Church encoding

Church encoding is a way of representing data and computations using only functions, based on the principles of the lambda calculus. Instead of using traditional data structures, it expresses numbers, booleans, and other constructs solely through functions that define their behavior. For example, a number is represented by a function that applies another function a certain number of times. This approach allows computation entirely through function application, providing a consistent theoretical framework for understanding computation and the foundations of programming languages.