Kenneth E. Iverson: Tool

Kenneth E. Iverson was Canadian computer scientist. Explore interesting quotes on tool.
Kenneth E. Iverson: 24 quotes0 likes

“The utility of a language as a tool of thought increases with the range of topics it can treat, but decreases with the amount of vocabulary and the complexity of grammatical rules which the user must keep in mind. Economy of notation is therefore important.”

Kenneth E. Iverson

§1.4
Notation as a Tool of Thought (1979)

“With the computer and programming languages, mathematics has newly-acquired tools, and its notation should be reviewed in the light of them. The computer may, in effect, be used as a patient, precise, and knowledgeable "native speaker" of mathematical notation.”

Kenneth E. Iverson

Source: Math for the Layman (1999), Ch. 10, §D

“The properties of executability and universality associated with programming languages can be combined, in a single language, with the well-known properties of mathematical notation which make it such an effective tool of thought.”

Kenneth E. Iverson

§5
Notation as a Tool of Thought (1979)

“Most programming languages are decidedly inferior to mathematical notation and are little used as tools of thought in ways that would be considered significant by, say, an applied mathematician.”

Kenneth E. Iverson

§0
Notation as a Tool of Thought (1979)

“The initial motive for developing APL was to provide a tool for writing and teaching. Although APL has been exploited mostly in commercial programming, I continue to believe that its most important use remains to be exploited: as a simple, precise, executable notation for the teaching of a wide range of subjects.”

Kenneth E. Iverson

"A Personal View of APL", IBM Systems Journal, 30 (4), 1991

“If it is to be effective as a tool of thought, a notation must allow convenient expression not only of notions arising directly from a problem, but also of those arising in subsequent analysis, generalization, and specialization.”

Kenneth E. Iverson

§1.1
Notation as a Tool of Thought (1979)