Prefix notation
mathematical notation in which every operator precedes all of its operands
Prefix notation is a mathematical notation. It is a way to write down equations and other mathematical formulae. Prefix notation is also known as Polish notation. The notation was invented by Jan Łukasiewicz in 1920. He wanted to simplify writing logic equations.
Prefix notation |
Infix notation |
Postfix notation |
When prefix notation is used, no grouping elements (like parenthesis) are needed.
With prefix notation, the function is noted before the arguments it operates on.
Some CASIO calculators use prefix notation. Some programming languages that were influenced by lambda calculus, like LISP, use prefix notation.