The Impact of Language Syntax on the Complexity of Programs: A Case Study of Java and Python

Abstract

Programming is the cornerstone of computer science, yet it is difficult to learn and program. The syntax of a programming language is particularly challenging to comprehend, which makes learning arduous and affects the program's testability. There is currently no literature that definitively gives quantitative evidence about the effect of programming language complex syntax. The main purpose of this article was to examine the effects of programming syntax on the complexity of their source programs. During the study, 298 algorithms were selected and their implementations in Java and Python were analyzed with the cyclomatic complexity matrix. The results of the study show that Python's syntax is less complex than Java's, and thus coding in Python is more comprehensive and less difficult than Java coding. The Mann-Whitney U test was performed on the results of a statistical analysis that showed a significant difference between Java and Python, indicating that the syntax of a programming language has a major impact on program complexity. The novelty of this article lies in the formulation of new knowledge and study patterns that can be used primarily to compare and analyze other programming languages.

Developing a Model for Curve-Fitting a Tree Stem’s Cross-Sectional Shape and Sapwood–Heartwood Transition in a Polar Diagram System Using Nonlinear Regression

“…Python Python programming language is a high-level programming software [49,50] to develop data science and machine learning created by Guido Van Rossum, a programmer from the Netherlands [49][50][51][52]. The Python programming language has several elements, such as syntax [53], the variable of which is a value or data [54,55] used in Python programming, data structure [54,56], functions in performing data processing [51], modules consisting of combining functions and programming code, libraries containing data science and machine learning [57], interpreted [49,53,54], and cross-platform that can support Python on several platforms [51]. In this study, Python was employed to develop a rotated ellipse graph.…”