CLCS

Conses as Lists

A list is a chain of conses in which the car of each cons is an element of the list, and the cdr of each cons is either the next link in the chain or a terminating atom.

A proper list is a list terminated by the empty list. The empty list is a proper list, but is not a cons.

An improper list is a list that is not a proper list; that is, it is a circular list or a dotted list.

A dotted list is a list that has a terminating atom that is not the empty list. A non-nil atom by itself is not considered to be a list of any kind—not even a dotted list.

A circular list is a chain of conses that has no termination because some cons in the chain is the cdr of a later cons.

appendlastnbutlastrest
butlastldiffnconcrevappend
copy-alistlistninthsecond
copy-listlist*nreconcseventh
eighthlist-lengthnthsixth
endpmake-listnthcdrtailp
fifthmemberpoptenth
firstmember-ifpushthird
fourthmember-if-notpushnew
Figure 14–3: Some defined names relating to lists.

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Cons Concepts