Polish notation
- noun
- /ˈpoʊlɪʃ noʊˈteɪʃən/
- Specialized
:
notación polaca
- In Polish notation, the expression '+ 3 4' represents '3 + 4'.
Examples
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Some calculators use Polish notation to simplify the input of complex expressions.
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Learning Polish notation can help computer science students understand parsing algorithms.
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I learned about Polish notation in my math class.
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Do you understand Polish notation?
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In Polish notation, the expression '+ 3 4' represents '3 + 4'.
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Learning Polish notation helps students write mathematical expressions without parentheses.
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Some programming languages use Polish notation for more straightforward expression evaluation.
Synonyms
A way of writing math expressions where the operator comes before the numbers so no parentheses are needed
A way to write math expressions with each operator before its numbers, without parentheses
Surface Forms
Morphology
The noun 'notation' makes clear this is a way of writing and 'Polish' indicates origin, so learners can guess it is a kind of notation associated with Poland, but those constituents do not convey the essential procedural property (operators placed before operands; no parentheses). Because it is a technical, eponymous term whose specific meaning requires domain knowledge, it is only partially predictable from its parts.
Etymology
Polish notation was created by a Polish mathematician named Jan Łukasiewicz, who wrote the operator before the numbers so he did not need any brackets. That's why the name now means a way to write expressions 'without parentheses'.
