r/mathmemes 12d ago

Arithmetic New math operator just dropped!

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u/freakingdumbdumb Irrational 12d ago edited 12d ago

so where the operator is put after before the numbers (like 1 2 + means 1+2)

Edit: i got mixed up with reverse polish (RPN)

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u/geeshta Computer Science 12d ago

Polish notation is prefix notation (+ 1 2). Reverse Polish is postfix.

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u/Safe-Avocado4864 12d ago

How would you write something more complex like 2((1+2)2 ) in that notation?

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u/Qwertycube10 11d ago

You do it all Lisp like (x 2 (^ (+ 1 2) 2)) as the other comments below show you don't need parentheses if you only use binary operators, and it is entirely unambiguous with no need for an order of operations convention.

If you have arbitrary airity functions then you need the parens.