Abstract
In this master thesis we investigate lambda calculus and the theory of combinatory logic. Two computational models strongly related to functional programming languages. The lambda calculus is a theoretical foundation and a framework for describing functions and their evaluation. The theory of combinatory logic can be viewed a theory of computation based on a notation that eliminates the need for variables in applications. We also study Lisp, the SECD-machine and graph reduction, highlighting how the theoretical findings from lambda calculus and combinatory logic is used in programming languages and program execution.