by Yogi P - October 7, 2023

Full form of FORTRAN:  The First High-Level Programming Language

FORTRAN stands for Formula Translation. It is the first high-level programming language, created by John Backus in 1957.

FORTRAN was designed specifically for scientific computing and numerical analysis. It is still widely used today in these fields, as well as in other applications such as engineering and finance.

FORTRAN is a compiled language, which means that the source code is converted into machine code before it can be executed. This makes FORTRAN programs very efficient, but it can make them more difficult to debug.

FORTRAN is a relatively easy language to learn, especially for people with a background in mathematics. The syntax is straightforward and the language provides a number of built-in functions for common mathematical operations.

History of FORTRAN

Before FORTRAN, programmers had to write programs in machine code or assembly language. This was a very complex and time-consuming process. FORTRAN made it much easier to write programs, especially for scientific and numerical applications.

The first version of FORTRAN was released in 1957. It was an immediate success, and quickly became the standard language for scientific computing. FORTRAN has evolved over the years, with new versions being released on a regular basis. The latest version of FORTRAN is FORTRAN 2018.

Characteristics of FORTRAN

FORTRAN is a powerful and versatile language. It has a number of features that make it well-suited for scientific computing, including:

• Strong support for mathematical operations – FORTRAN provides a number of built-in functions for common mathematical operations, such as addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation. It also supports complex number arithmetic and a variety of other mathematical operations.
• Array processing – FORTRAN arrays are powerful data structures that can be used to store and manipulate large amounts of data. FORTRAN provides a number of built-in functions for performing array operations, such as sorting, searching, and matrix multiplication.
• Efficiency – FORTRAN programs are typically very efficient, both in terms of time and space requirements. This is because FORTRAN is a compiled language and because it is optimized for scientific computing.

Uses of FORTRAN

FORTRAN is used in a wide variety of applications, including:

• Scientific computing – FORTRAN is the standard language for scientific computing. It is used in a wide range of scientific disciplines, such as physics, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering.
• Numerical analysis – FORTRAN is also widely used in numerical analysis, which is the study of methods for solving mathematical problems using computers.
• Engineering – FORTRAN is used in many engineering applications, such as the design and analysis of aircraft, bridges, and other structures.
• Finance – FORTRAN is also used in finance, for applications such as risk assessment and portfolio optimization.

Conclusion

FORTRAN is a powerful and versatile language that is well-suited for a wide variety of applications, especially in scientific computing and numerical analysis. It is a relatively easy language to learn, and it is supported by a large number of compilers and libraries.