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- Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
- Path: sparky!uunet!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!sdd.hp.com!caen!uvaarpa!murdoch!fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU!jvn
- From: jvn@fermi.clas.Virginia.EDU (Julian V. Noble)
- Subject: scientific programming in forth
- Message-ID: <1992Dec16.190103.14481@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
- Sender: usenet@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU
- Organization: University of Virginia
- Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 19:01:03 GMT
- Lines: 77
-
- Subject: scientific programming in forth
- Newsgroups: comp.lang.forth
- Organization: University of Virginia
-
-
- FORTH has been called "...one of the best-kept secrets in the
- computing world". Combining the execution speed of a compiled
- language with the immediacy and convenience of an interpreted
- language, FORTH is nevertheless so simple its kernel can be
- compressed into a few kilobytes of machine code. Many scientists,
- engineers and programmers have recognized that FORTH "...provides
- the most direct, revealing and flexible way for controlling
- computer hardware yet invented," applying FORTH to industrial
- control, robotics and laboratory instrumentation.
-
- FORTH is the only completely extensible modern computer language.
- User-defined operators, data structures, commands, functions and
- subprograms act precisely like the core operators, data
- structures and commands -- they are true extensions to FORTH.
- Moreover, the FORTH compiler is part of the language, available
- to the user. These features give FORTH enormous abstractive power
- and elegance of expression. A FORTH program to solve linear
- equations can look as simple as
-
- : }}SOLVE ( adr[M] adr[y] - - )
- SETUP TRIANGULARIZE BACKSOLVE ;
-
- "Scientific FORTH: a modern language for scientific computing"
- extends the FORTH kernel in the direction of scientific
- problem-solving. It is the first book to illustrate advanced
- FORTH programming techniques with non-trivial applications:
-
- . high-speed real and complex floating point arithmetic
-
- . generic data structures and operations ("intelligent
- floating point stack)
-
- . numerical integration/Monte-Carlo methods
-
- . linear equations and matrices
-
- . functional representation of data (FFT, polynomials)
-
- . function minimization
-
- . differential equations
-
- . roots of equations
-
- . computer algebra
-
- . FORmula TRANslator
-
-
- Since (as sayeth the Preacher) "...time and chance happen to
- everything" (even FORTH!) "Scientific FORTH" devotes considerable
- space to explaining the algorithms and ideas behind the
- illustrative programs.
-
- All programs appear on the diskette included with the book.
-
- The list price of "Scientific FORTH: a modern language for
- scientific computing" (ISBN 0-9632775-0-2) is $49.95 + $3.00 s/h
- (in continental US--overseas shipping additional).
-
- To order, send personal check, money order (sorry, no credit
- cards) or corporate purchase order (terms for P.O.'s: $5.00
- handling charge, payment due 30 calendar days from billing,
- interest on unpaid balance @ 1.5% /month) to
-
- Mechum Banks Publishing
- P.O. Box 335
- Ivy, Virginia 22901
- USA
-
-
-
-