MATH-MATIC
| Company type | Programming language |
|---|---|
| Industry | Computer software |
| Founded | 1955 |
| Founder | Charles Katz, Grace Hopper (guidance) |
| Products | MATH-MATIC compiler |
MATH-MATIC serves as the commercial designation for the AT-3 (Algebraic Translator 3) compiler, an early programming language designed for the UNIVAC I and UNIVAC II systems.
Initiated in 1955 by a group led by Charles Katz under the guidance of Grace Hopper, an initial manual was released in 1957, followed by a finalized edition in 1958.
Sharing syntactic similarities with Univac's business-focused FLOW-MATIC, MATH-MATIC incorporated algebraic notation, supported floating-point calculations, and utilized arrays rather than record structures.
Notable features
The language accommodated numeric exponents, including fractional and decimal formats, through the use of a specialized typewriter.
It allowed embedding of inline assembly code from ARITH-MATIC as well as direct UNIVAC machine instructions within programs.
Given the limited memory—1000 words on UNIVAC I and 2000 on UNIVAC II—MATH-MATIC facilitated larger applications by automatically producing code to load overlay segments from UNISERVO tape, striving to confine loops within these segments.
Influence
The Gesellschaft für Angewandte Mathematik und Mechanik identified MATH-MATIC as the language most aligned with its proposals during collaboration with the ACM on ALGOL 58.
In contrast to Backus' FORTRAN, MATH-MATIC did not emphasize runtime efficiency. The absence of floating-point hardware on UNIVAC machines and its compilation approach—translating through A-3 (ARITH-MATIC) pseudo-assembler instead of direct machine code—restricted its speed and practicality for business applications.