Optimization of Series Expressions: Part 1: User's Manual for the Series Macro Package

Abstract

The benefits of programming in a functional style are well known. In particular, algorithms that are expressed as compositions of functions operating on series/vectors/streams of data elements are much easier to understand and modify than equivalent algorithms expressed as loops. Unfortunately, many programmers hesitate to use series expressions. In part, this is due to the fact that series expressions are typically implemented very inefficiently. A Common Lisp macro package (called Series) has been implemented that can evaluate a wide class of series expressions very efficiently by transforming them into iterative loops. When using this class of series expressions, programmers can obtain the advantages of expressing computations as series expressions without incurring any run-time overhead. Keywords: Programming manuals.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA218220

Entities

People

  • Richard C. Waters

Organizations

  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Materials and Manufacturing Processes

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Algorithms
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Computations
  • Computer Languages
  • Computer Programming
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Debugging
  • Guarantees
  • Hash Tables
  • High Level Language Architecture
  • Language
  • Lisp Programming Language
  • Personality
  • Programming Languages
  • Side Effects
  • Standards

Fields of Study

  • Engineering

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Computational Linguistics
  • Computer Science.