MxPL: A Programming Language for Matrix-Related Operations

Abstract

It is important to establish solid mathematical knowledge throughout the education period. Matrices are important mathematical objects commonly used in many diverse disciplines, including mathematics, engineering, and science. Most problems encountered in such disciplines are represented by mathematical models with various types of matrices, and solved through some applications of matrix algebra. Although simple or advanced operations of matrices can be performed by using modern programming languages, it usually results in a large fragment of code with a low level of readability due to a complicated sequence of control statements. On the other hand, special-purpose languages handle these operations via library functions, presenting poor integration with other programming environments, and less programming flexibility and practice. This paper addresses the design and development of a programming language, called MxPL, which supports matrix-related mathematics with the provision of some basic structures and functions. Firstly, a grammar that is compatible with the usual notations of matrices is constructed and the parser is produced. Then, the code verifier and interpreter for MxPL programs are implemented. Some code examples are presented to illustrate the performance of several sophisticated matrix operations. The comparative analysis of MxPL is conducted with modern programming languages based on language features.