| Wolfram Language | |
| Logo Size: | 120px |
| Paradigm: | Multi-paradigm |
| Typing: | Dynamic, strong |
| Designer: | Stephen Wolfram |
| Developer: | Wolfram Research |
| Latest Release Version: | 14.1.0[1] |
| Implementations: | Mathematica, Mathics, Expreduce, MockMMA |
| Genre: | Computer algebra, numerical computations, information visualization, statistics, user interface creation--> |
| Influenced By: | |
| Influenced: | |
| Operating System: | Cross-platform |
| License: | Proprietary |
| File Ext: | .nb, .m, .wl |
The Wolfram Language is a proprietary,[7] general, very high-level multi-paradigm programming language[8] developed by Wolfram Research. It emphasizes symbolic computation, functional programming, and rule-based programming[9] and can employ arbitrary structures and data.[9] It is the programming language of the mathematical symbolic computation program Mathematica.[10]
The Wolfram Language was part of the initial version of Mathematica in 1988.[11]
Symbolic aspects of the engine make it a computer algebra system. The language can perform integration, differentiation, matrix manipulations, and solve differential equations using a set of rules. Also, the initial version introduced the notebook model and the ability to embed sound and images, according to Theodore Gray's patent.[12]
Wolfram also added features for more complex tasks, such as 3D modeling.[13]
A name was finally adopted for the language in 2013, as Wolfram Research decided to make a version of the language engine free for Raspberry Pi users, and they needed to come up with a name for it.[14] It was included in the recommended software bundle that the Raspberry Pi Foundation provides for beginners, which caused some controversy due to the Wolfram language's proprietary nature.[15] Plans to port the Wolfram language to the Intel Edison were announced after the board's introduction at CES 2014 but were never released.[16] In 2019, a link was added to make Wolfram libraries compatible with the Unity game engine, giving game developers access to the language's high-level functions.[17] [18]
The Wolfram Language syntax is overall similar to the M-expression of 1960s LISP, with support for infix operators and "function-notation" function calls.
The Wolfram language writes basic arithmetic expressions using infix operators.
4 + 3(* = 7 *)
1 + 2 * (3 + 4)(* = 15 *)(* Note that Multiplication can be omitted: 1 + 2 (3 + 4) *)
(* Divisions return rational numbers: *)6 / 4(* = 3/2 *)
Function calls are denoted with square brackets:
(* This is the function to convert rationals to floating point: *)N[3 / 2](* = 1.5 *)
Lists are enclosed in curly brackets:
Oddlist=(* = *)
The language may deviate from the M-expression paradigm when an alternative, more human-friendly way of showing an expression is available:
A formatter desugars the input:[19]
Currying is supported.
Functions in the Wolfram Language are effectively a case of simple patterns for replacement:
The is a "SetDelayed operator", so that the x is not immediately looked for. is syntax sugar for, i.e. a "blank" for any value to replace x in the rest of the evaluation.
An iteration of bubble sort is expressed as:
A ReplaceRepeated operator can be used to apply this rule repeatedly, until no more change happens:
The pattern matching system also easily gives rise to rule-based integration and derivation. The following are excerpts from the Rubi package of rules:[20]
The official and reference implementation of the Wolfram Language lies in Mathematica and associated online services. These are closed source.[21] Wolfram Research has, however, released a parser of the language under the open source MIT License.[22] The parser was originally developed in C++ but was rewritten in Rust in 2023. The reference book is open access.[23]
In the over three-decade-long existence of the Wolfram language, a number of open-source third-party implementations have also been developed. Richard Fateman's MockMMA from 1991 is of historical note, both for being the earliest reimplementation and for having received a cease-and-desist from Wolfram. Modern ones still being maintained include Symja in Java, expreduce in Golang, and SymPy-based Mathics.[24] These implementations focus on the core language and the computer algebra system that it implies, not on the online "knowledgebase" features of Wolfram.
In 2019,[25] Wolfram Research released the freeware Wolfram Engine, to be used as a programming library in non-commercial software.[26]
The language was officially named in June 2013 and has been used as the backend of Mathematica and other Wolfram technologies for over 30 years.[27] [28]