SYNOPSIS

       bc [-c] [-l] [file ... ]

DESCRIPTION

       Bc  is  an  interactive  processor for a language which resembles C but
       provides unlimited precision arithmetic.  It takes input from any files
       given,  then  reads the standard input.  The -l argument stands for the
       name of an arbitrary precision math library.  The syntax  for  bc  pro-
       grams  is  as  follows; L means letter a-z, E means expression, S means
       statement.

       Comments
             are enclosed in /* and */.

       Names
             simple variables: L
             array elements: L [ E ]
             The words `ibase', `obase', and `scale'

       Other operands
             arbitrarily long numbers with optional sign and decimal point.
             ( E )
             sqrt ( E )
             length ( E )   number of significant decimal digits
             scale ( E )    number of digits right of decimal point
             L ( E , ... , E )

       Operators
             +  -  *  /  %  ^ (% is remainder; ^ is power)
             ++   --         (prefix and postfix; apply to names)
             ==  <=  >=  !=  <  >
             =  =+  =-  =*  =/  =%  =^

       Statements
             E
             { S ; ... ; S }
             if ( E ) S
             while ( E ) S
             for ( E ; E ; E ) S
             null statement
             break
             quit

       Function definitions
             define L ( L ,..., L ) {
                  auto L, ... , L
                  S; ... S
                  return ( E )
             }

       Functions in -l math library
             s(x) sine

       The same letter may be used as an array, a function, and a simple vari-
       able simultaneously.  All variables are global to the program.   `Auto'
       variables  are pushed down during function calls.  When using arrays as
       function arguments or defining them as automatic variables empty square
       brackets must follow the array name.

       For example

       scale = 20
       define e(x){
            auto a, b, c, i, s
            a = 1
            b = 1
            s = 1
            for(i=1; 1==1; i++){
                 a = a*x
                 b = b*i
                 c = a/b
                 if(c == 0) return(s)
                 s = s+c
            }
       }

       defines  a  function to compute an approximate value of the exponential
       function and

            for(i=1; i<=10; i++) e(i)

       prints approximate values of the exponential function of the first  ten
       integers.

       Bc  is  actually  a  preprocessor for dc(1), which it invokes automati-
       cally, unless the -c (compile only) option is present.   In  this  case
       the dc input is sent to the standard output instead.

FILES

       /usr/5lib/lib.b mathematical library
       dc(1)           desk calculator proper

SEE ALSO

       dc(1)
       L. L. Cherry and R. Morris, BC - An arbitrary precision desk-calculator
       language

BUGS

       No &&, ||, or ! operators.
       For statement must have all three E's.
       Quit is interpreted when read, not when executed.