Ways to implement computer algebra compactly

  • Authors:
  • David R. Stoutemyer

  • Affiliations:
  • dstout at hawaii dot edu

  • Venue:
  • ACM Communications in Computer Algebra
  • Year:
  • 2012

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Abstract

Computer algebra had to be implemented compactly to fit on early personal computers and hand-held calculators. Compact implementation is still important for portable hand-held devices. Also, compact implementation increases comprehensibility while decreasing development and maintenance time and cost, regardless of the platform. This article describes several ways to achieve compact implementations, including: Exploit evaluation followed by interpolation to avoid implementing a parser, such as in PicoMath™. Use contiguous storage as an expression stack to avoid garbage collection and pointerspace overhead, such as in Calculus Demontm and TI-Math-Engine. Use various techniques for saving code space for linked-storage representation of expressions and functions, such as in muMathtm and Derive®.