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Basic Language

BASIC is a well-known acronym that stands for Beginner’s All-purpose Symbolic Instruction Code. This high-level programming language was created in 1963 by two mathematicians, J.G. Kemeny and Thomas Kurtzas, at Dartmouth College in the United States. It was designed to be easy to learn and use, making it an excellent choice for beginners in computer programming. BASIC is an all-purpose program, meaning it is used in various fields such as business and science to develop computer applications.

BASIC programming language is versatile and flexible, and its simple syntax makes it ideal for teaching programming concepts to beginners. It is interactive and provides helpful error messages, making it easy for users to troubleshoot and debug their code. Moreover, BASIC is not just for beginners. It allows advanced features to be added for experts while still maintaining its simplicity for beginners.

Several variations of BASIC programming language exist, including Microsoft QBASIC, Quick BASIC, Microsoft Visual BASIC, Star Office Basic, Power BASIC, REAL basic, and others. These variations provide a range of features and functionalities, and users can choose the one that best suits their needs. Overall, the BASIC programming language is a great tool for learning and developing computer programs, especially for beginners.

Basic Character set

The BASIC Character Set comprises a range of characters used in the BASIC programming language. It includes the 26 letters of the English alphabet in both uppercase and lowercase forms, from A to Z and a to z respectively. In addition, the character set includes the numbers 0 to 9, as well as the letters A to F or a to f, which are used in the hexadecimal number system. These characters are commonly used in programming to represent values and perform operations. The ability to work with hexadecimal numbers in addition to decimal numbers is a useful feature of the BASIC programming language, especially in computer science

Basic Character set and Operation

Mathematical Signs	Operations
+ (Plus)	Addition
– (Minus)	Subtraction
/ (Forward Slash)	Division
\ (Back Slash)	Integer Division
* (Asterisk)	Multiplication
= (Equality)	Arithmetic Assignment
< (Less Than)	Relational Operator
^ (Caret)	Exponential
> (Greater Than)	Relational Operator
>= (Greater Than or Equal To)	Relational Operator
<= (Less Than or Equal To)	Relational Operator
. (Period)	Decimal Point

Data Type Suffixes and Operations

Data type suffixes are used to indicate the type of data being used in a program. The five most common suffixes are %, !, $, &, and ##. The % suffix is used to represent integers, which are whole numbers that can be either negative or positive. The! the suffix is used for single-precision data types

Suffix	Data Type	Operations
%	Integer	Represents a whole number that can be negative or positive.
!	Single Precision	Stores real numbers up to seven decimal places.
$	String	Represents a sequence of characters usually enclosed in double quotation marks.
&	Long Integer	Represents whole numbers that are greater than integers.
##	Double Precision	Represents a more precise type of data.

Special Symbols and Operations

Symbol	Purpose
?	Prompt INPUT statement
‘	Indicate a comment line
:	Separate multiple statements on one line
“	Enclose string constants
,	Control INPUT and PRINT statements
;	Control PRINT statement output

The following table lists special symbols and their respective operations in programming:

• The question mark symbol is used to prompt an INPUT statement.
• Single quotes indicate a comment line.
• Colons are used to separate multiple statements on one line.
• Double quotes enclose string constants.
• Commas control INPUT and PRINT statements.
• Semicolons control PRINT statement output.