Any SML coders able to translate this to Python?

[Marko Rauhamaa]

Steven D'Aprano <steve+comp.lang.python at pearwood.info>:

> I have this snippet of SML code which I'm trying to translate to Python:
>
> fun isqrt n = if n=0 then 0
>              else let val r = isqrt (n/4)
>                   in
>                     if n < (2*r+1)^2 then 2*r
>                     else 2*r+1
>                   end
>
>
> I've tried reading up on SML and can't make heads or tails of the 
> "let...in...end" construct.
>
>
> The best I've come up with is this:
>
> def isqrt(n):
>     if n == 0:
>         return 0
>     else:
>         r = isqrt(n/4)
>         if n < (2*r+1)**2:
>             return 2*r
>         else:
>             return 2*r+1
>
> but I don't understand the let ... in part so I'm not sure if I'm doing 
> it right.

You must make sure "r" doesn't leak outside its syntactic context so:

def isqrt(n):
    if n == 0:
        return 0
    else:
        def f2398478957():
            r = isqrt(n//4)
            if n < (2*r+1)**2:
                return 2*r
            else:
                return 2*r+1
        return f2398478957()

(Also use // instead of /: isqrt = integer square root.)


Marko