The full form of FORTRAN is Formula Translation. It is the first high-level programming language, created by John Backus in 1957. FORTRAN was designed specially for scientific computing and numerical computing, which involves performing complex math calculations. The main goal of FORTRAN was to make it easier to translate mathematical equations into code for computers.
FORTRAN was introduced in 1957, marking a significant breakthrough in the evolution of programming languages. Before FORTRAN, programming was done using machine languages, which required writing complicated binary and hexadecimal code. John Backus and his team wanted to make programming easier and faster, so they developed a language that combined simple English-like commands with mathematical equations.
This change made programming more accessible and helped reduce the amount of time spent writing code. Scientists and researchers were quick to adopt FORTRAN, and it became the go-to language for scientific and engineering applications.
Before FORTRAN, programming was slow and required a lot of effort. With FORTRAN, programmers could write code muck faster without losing any performance. It allowed people to create programs that ran just as those written in machine langauge, making it a huge leap forward for computing.
By the late 1950s, FORTRAN had become the standard language for scientific computing. It went through several updates in the following decades to keep up with advance in programming and technology. Versions like FORTRAN 77, FORTRAN 90 and later updates in the 2000s kept improving the language’s capabilities.
Here are some important features of FORTRAN:
FORTRAN is mainly used in fields that require extensive mathematical calculations, such as:
The Malayalam film industry lost a giant with the passing of Shaji N Karun, one…
In a move aimed at improving accessibility to frequently used currency denominations, the Reserve Bank…
In 2024-25, the global military expenditure saw a remarkable rise, with nations allocating significant portions…
In a recent move to uphold regulatory discipline in the financial sector, the Reserve Bank…
Urbanization along riverbanks has historically enabled human settlements to flourish. However, rapid and unplanned urbanization…
India has once again affirmed its global leadership in yogic sports with a historic performance…