alpha conversion

Noun

 * 1)  One of the three rewrite rules of lambda calculus, in which a bound variable of a lambda term is replaced by another variable across its entire scope. So if there is a lambda term of the form $$(\lambda x. t)$$ and it is desired to have x replaced with y, then the rewritten lambda term would have the form $$(\lambda y. t[y/x])$$ where $$t[y/x]$$, "t with y instead of x", has had all free instances of x in t replaced with y.