Language as an Intellectual Tool: From Hieroglyphics to APL
Language as an Intellectual Tool: From Hieroglyphics to APL
复制标题
语言作为智力工具：从象形文字到 APL
作者：
D. McIntyre
我们在了解其符号和程序的来源之前就学习了初等数学，因此，这些符号和程序似乎错误地被宣布为现成的。语言和理性是密切相关的，一个概念在符号中的体现可能对它的理解至关重要。APL将代数统一到一个统一的符号中；它允许我们利用强大的函数和运算符概念；它还通过提供工具来按照数组或多个量来思考，帮助我们摆脱标量的专制，正如一个世纪前J·J·西尔维斯特雄辩地敦促我们所做的那样。APL有一种智力上的一致性，这是满足感和愉悦的源泉。本文追溯了符号从象形文字到APL的历史。
We learn elementary mathematics before understanding the source of its symbols and procedures, which therefore appear, incorrectly, to have been decreed ready-made. Language and reason are intimately related, and the embodiment of an idea in a symbol may be essential to its comprehension. APL unifies algebra into a single consistent notation; it allows us to exploit the powerful concepts of functions and operators; and it helps us to escape from the tyranny of scalars by giving us the tools to think in terms of arrays, or multiple quantity, as J. J. Sylvester so eloquently urged us to do a century ago. APL has an intellectual consistency that is a source of satisfaction and pleasure. This paper traces the history of symbols from hieroglyphics to APL.