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From: ack@ecst.csuchico.edu (ack!phft!barf!)
Newsgroups: comp.lang.fortran,sci.math,comp.edu
Subject: Re: Fortran for Math Majors
Message-ID: <1991Feb15.053750.17821@ecst.csuchico.edu>
Date: 15 Feb 91 05:37:50 GMT
References: <1991Feb12.151552.17331@pdn.paradyne.com>
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Organization: California State University, Chico
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In article <1991Feb12.151552.17331@pdn.paradyne.com> reggie@paradyne.com (George W. Leach) writes:
>      A student of mine had a question that I wanted to pose to the members
>of this newsgroup.  This person intends on majoring in Math and perhaps
>minoring in CS.  The question pertains to how much is Fortran used in a
>typical Mathematics Department for undergraduate coursework?  The reason
>for the question is that this person wants to decide if she should purchase
>a PC-based compiler or not.
>
>      Is any other language used in Math Departments other than Fortran?
>Are there libraries available that you use for special purposes?  If so,
>are they typically used on a PC?
>
>Thanks,
>
>George
>-- 
>George W. Leach					AT&T Paradyne 
>reggie@paradyne.com				Mail stop LG-133
>Phone: 1-813-530-2376				P.O. Box 2826
>FAX: 1-813-530-8224				Largo, FL 34649-2826 USA
[trimmed up article by removing some blank lines]
Here at Chico State the Math Department does not encourage the use of
computers for solving problems, even in the numerical methods classes.
Speaking as a CS major with an interest in math, I would recomend knowing
FORTRAN simply because it is good at number crunching and there is a lot of
code out there.  I would also recomend a knowledge of Pascal and/or C.
Pascal is good because of the big safety net, but is awful for math
functions.  (Standard Pascal, that is.  I don't know how Turbo Pascal is.)
C is better at the math functions, but you can really do screwy things in
C, and it will still compile.  Ada might be something to look at, but I
don't know enough about it.  We had an awful implementation here at Chico
that we scrapped using after the first semester, so my expierence is
negative.  Ada is something I would like to learn though, since the DoD
requires it for its programs.

					Hope this helps,
					ack (aka Andy Santoro).

          /    aka Andy Santoro   (ack@csuchico.edu)
 __.  _. /_    California State University, Chico
(_/|_(__/ <_   #include "witty_disclaimer"