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An operator which is non-associative cannot compete for operands with operators of equal precedence. In Prolog for example, the infix operator :-is non-associative, so constructs such as a :- b :- c are syntax errors. Unary prefix operators such as − (negation) or sin (trigonometric function) are typically associative prefix operators.
Calculator input methods: comparison of notations as used by pocket calculators; Postfix notation, also called Reverse Polish notation; Prefix notation, also called Polish notation; Shunting yard algorithm, used to convert infix notation to postfix notation or to a tree; Operator (computer programming) Subject–verb–object word order
Polish notation (PN), also known as normal Polish notation (NPN), [1] Łukasiewicz notation, Warsaw notation, Polish prefix notation or simply prefix notation, is a mathematical notation in which operators precede their operands, in contrast to the more common infix notation, in which operators are placed between operands, as well as reverse Polish notation (RPN), in which operators follow ...
This feature probably suggested such operators to Thompson; the generalization to make them both prefix and postfix was his own. Indeed, the auto-increment cells were not used directly in implementation of the operators, and a stronger motivation for the innovation was probably his observation that the translation of ++x was smaller than that ...
Immediate-execution calculators are based on a mixture of infix and postfix notation: binary operations are done as infix, but unary operations are postfix. Because operators are applied one-at-a-time, the user must work out which operator key to use at each stage, and this can lead to problems.
Most programming languages support binary operators and a few unary operators, with a few supporting more operands, such as the ?: operator in C, which is ternary. There are prefix unary operators, such as unary minus -x , and postfix unary operators, such as post-increment x++ ; and binary operations are infix, such as x + y or x = y .
Video: Keys pressed for calculating eight times six on a HP-32SII (employing RPN) from 1991. Reverse Polish notation (RPN), also known as reverse Łukasiewicz notation, Polish postfix notation or simply postfix notation, is a mathematical notation in which operators follow their operands, in contrast to prefix or Polish notation (PN), in which operators precede their operands.
A limitation to this strategy is that unary operators must all have higher precedence than infix operators. The "negative" operator in the above code has a higher precedence than exponentiation. Running the program with this input - a ^ 2. produces this output ((((-a)^(2)))) which is probably not what is intended.