Learn SCHEME with Real Code Examples

Scheme supports functional programming with first-class procedures and lexical scoping.

It has a small core language, relying on powerful abstraction and macros.

Commonly used for teaching programming concepts, AI, symbolic computation, and language research.

Lambda expressions

List processing functions

Conditionals and pattern matching

Macros for language extension

Numeric and symbolic computation

Expressions and S-expressions

Lambda functions and recursion

Lists and pairs

Conditional expressions (if, cond)

Macro and metaprogramming basics

source.scm

modules/ or libraries

tests/

scripts/

documentation/

Write .scm source file

Load file in REPL or interpreter

Define functions and test interactively

Use macros for abstraction

Debug using REPL and trace functions

Beginner: basic arithmetic and recursion

Intermediate: higher-order functions and list manipulation

Advanced: macro programming and DSL creation

Expert: interpreters, compilers, and AI prototypes

More minimalistic than Common Lisp

More functional than imperative languages

Stronger tail-call guarantees than Python

Smaller standard library than JavaScript

Better for education and AI prototyping than enterprise apps

1975 – Scheme designed at MIT

1978 – Lambda Papers published

1980s – Early academic adoption

1990s – R5RS and R6RS standards

2000s–2025 – Racket and modern Scheme implementations

S-expression: symbolic expression (code/data)

Lambda: anonymous function

Closure: function with lexical environment

Macro: compile-time code transformer

Tail-call: function call in last position