Just as we did for the term functional above, it’s probably worth investigating what the word imperative means at this point. Merriam-Webster defines imperative this way: 1 a: of, relating to, or constituting the grammatical mood that expresses the will to influence the behavior of another b: expressive of a command, entreaty, or exhortation c: having power to restrain, control, and direct 2: not to be avoided or evaded : necessary As an American English speaker, both definitions come to mind. Imperatives are about the will and the duty to change things. The term imperative programming language is understandable in this context because imperative programming is all about state management. To understand how imperative systems are built, think about the modern computer system. From the hardware up, all computers are somewhat imperative in nature. We store memory as a series of electrical signals and manipulate those signals to change the meaning of the data they repr
