Pidgin code

In numerical computation, mathematical style pseudocode is sometimes called pidgin code, for example pidgin ALGOL (the origin of the concept), pidgin Fortran, pidgin BASIC, pidgin Pascal, and pidgin C. It is a compact and often informal notation that blends syntax taken from a conventional programming language with mathematical notation, typically using set theory and matrix operations, and perhaps also natural language descriptions. Hence the name: the mixture is a programming language analogy to a pidgin in natural languages.

It can be understood by a wide range of mathematically trained people, and is used as a way to describe algorithms where the control structure is made explicit at a rather high level of detail, while some data structures are still left at an abstract level, independent of any specific programming language.

Normally non-ascii typesetting is used for the mathematical equations, for example by means of TeX or MathML markup, or proprietory Formula editor formats.

Examples

These are examples of Wikipedia articles that contain mathematical style psudo code:

Algorithm Conjugate gradient method Ford-Fulkerson algorithm Gauss-Seidel method Generalized minimal residual method Hopcroft-Karp algorithm Jacobi eigenvalue algorithm

Jacobi method Karmarkar's algorithm Particle swarm optimization Stone method Successive over-relaxation Symbolic Cholesky decomposition Tridiagonal matrix algorithm

Machine interpration

An alternative to using informal pseudocode for documentation of algorithms is to use a formal mathematical programming language that resembles to pidgin code, where non-ascii mathematical notation is mixed with control structures. Then the code can be interpreted by a machine, and tested immediately.

Several formal specification languages include set theory notation. Examples are:

• Z notation
• VDM specification language

Some array programming languages include vectorized expressions and matrix operations as non-ascii formulas, mixed with conventional control structures. Examples are:

• A programming language (APL), and its dialects APLX and A+.
• MathCAD.

See also

• Pseudocode
• Wikipedia:Algorithms on Wikipedia - Wikipedia guidelines for mathematical style pseudo code.