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High level languages; C versus FORTRAN

Short answer

High-level languages use English-like statements and are machine-independent. Types include procedural (C, FORTRAN), object-oriented (C++), functional, logic, and scripting. C is general-purpose, free-format, case-sensitive with zero-based arrays and pointers, while FORTRAN is for scientific computing, case-insensitive with one-based arrays and strong array support.

What is high level language? What are the different types of high level languages? How does computer programming language C differ from FORTRAN?

High-level language

A high-level language is a programming language with English-like statements and mathematical notation, independent of the computer hardware. A compiler or interpreter translates it into machine code.

Types of high-level languages

  • Procedural (structured) languages: programs are sequences of procedures; C, FORTRAN, Pascal, COBOL.
  • Object-oriented languages: programs built from objects and classes; C++, Java, C#.
  • Functional languages: programs built from functions; LISP, Haskell.
  • Logic languages: based on facts and rules; Prolog.
  • Scripting languages: interpreted, used for web and automation; Python, JavaScript, PHP.

C versus FORTRAN

CFORTRAN
General purpose, used for system and application softwareDesigned for scientific and numerical computation
Structured; free-format code, statements end with ;Older versions use fixed columns, no ;
Supports pointers, structures, dynamic memoryPointers and structures are limited in old versions
Case sensitiveNot case sensitive
Block structure with { }Blocks end with END, ENDIF, CONTINUE
Array index starts from 0Array index starts from 1
Powerful low-level access to memoryStrong built-in support for arrays and complex numbers

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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