Extrait de la préface de Kenneth E. Iverson
Applied mathematics is largely concerned with the design and analysis of explicit procedures for calculating the exact or approximate values of various functions. Such explicit procedures are called algorithms or programs. Because an effective notation for the description of programs exhibits considerable syntactic structure, it is called a programming language.
Much of applied mathematics, particularly the more recent computer-related areas which cut across the older disciplines, suffers from the lack of an adequate programming language. It is the central thesis of this book that the descriptive and analytic power of an adequate programming language amply repays the considerable effort required for its mastery. This thesis is developed by first presenting the entire language and then applying it in later chapters to several major topics.
The areas of application are chosen primarily for their intrinsic interest and lack of previous treatment, but they are also designed to illustrate the universality and other facets of the language. For example, the microprogramming of Chapter 2 illustrates the divisibility of the language, i.e., the ability to treat a restricted area using only a small portion of the complete language. Chapter 6 (Sorting) shows its capacity to compass a relatively complex and detailed topic in a short space. Chapter 7 (The Logical Calculus) emphasizes the formal manipulability of the language and its utility in theoretical work.
The material was developed largely in a graduate course given for several years at Harvard and in a later course presented repeatedly at the IBM Systems Research Institute in New York. It should prove suitable for a two-semester course at the senior or graduate level. Although for certain audiences an initial presentation of the entire language may be appropriate, I have found it helpful to motivate the development by presenting the minimum notation required for a given topic, proceeding to its treatment (e.g., microprogramming), and then returning to further notation. The 130-odd problems not only provide the necessary finger exercises but also develop results of general interest...
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