What Does 'A Programming Language (APL)' Mean?

Daniel Gonzales author Daniel Gonzales
What is APL (A Programming Language)?
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APL (A Programming Language) is a programming language that was developed in the 1960s by Kenneth E. Iverson. It is known for its use of special symbols to represent operations, making it highly concise and compact.

APL is an array-oriented language, which means that it is designed for working with data organized into arrays, or multi-dimensional tables of data. It is often used for scientific and engineering applications, and is known for its powerful built-in functions for working with arrays of data.

APL special symbols

APL (A Programming Language) is known for its use of special symbols to represent common operations, such as the four basic arithmetic operations (addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division). For example, the symbol for addition is +, the symbol for subtraction is -, the symbol for multiplication is *, and the symbol for division is /.

APL also uses other special symbols to represent other common operations and functions, such as the square root function √, the logarithm function ⍟, and the maximum function ⌈. These symbols are called “APL special symbols” or “APL characters”.

APL is a very concise and powerful programming language, but it can be difficult to read and understand if you are not familiar with its special symbols.

Here is a list of some common and useful APL symbols and their meanings:

  • +: addition
  • -: subtraction
  • *: multiplication
  • /: division
  • √: square root
  • ⍟: logarithm
  • ⌈: maximum
  • ⌊: minimum
  • ≥: greater than or equal to
  • ≤: less than or equal to
  • =: equals
  • ≠: not equal to
  • ⍝: comment (used to add notes and explanations to APL code)
  • ⍺ and ⍵: function operands (used to specify the input and output of a function)

These symbols are just a few of the many special symbols used in APL. There are many more symbols, each with its own specific meaning and use. With practice and experience, you will become more familiar with these symbols and how to use them effectively in your APL code.

More information

APL (A Programming Language) is a high-level programming language that was created in the 1960s by Kenneth E. Iverson. APL is known for its concise and expressive syntax, which uses a unique set of symbols and characters to represent operations and functions.

APL is a functional programming language, which means that it is based on the concept of functions that take input values and return output values. APL programs are composed of expressions that are evaluated to produce a result, and these expressions can be combined to build more complex programs.

One of the key features of APL is its use of arrays, which are collections of values that can be manipulated as a single entity. APL includes a powerful set of array-based operations, such as indexing, slicing, and reshaping, that allow you to easily manipulate arrays in your programs.

APL is a compact and expressive language, and it is often used for tasks that require concise and efficient solutions. It is also used in the development of software tools and applications, particularly in the fields of finance, engineering, and data analysis.

Why did Kenneth E. Iverson create APL?

Kenneth E. Iverson developed APL as a mathematical notation for expressing algorithms, and as a means of expressing ideas about the manipulation of data and the creation of programs.

He was interested in creating a concise and powerful notation that could be used by both mathematicians and computer scientists to express their ideas, and to make it easier to write programs that could manipulate data in complex ways.

APL was designed to be a high-level language, meaning that it is closer to human languages than low-level languages like machine code, and is easier to read and write.