10 PEAR classes you need to know to code complex math in your PHP applications

[office politics]

10 PEAR classes you need to know to code complex math in your PHP applications

by Mark Kaelin | More from Mark Kaelin | Published: 2/16/07

If you have a mathematics background, you'll already be well aware that PHP doesn't come with any special functions for working with advanced mathematical concepts -- complex numbers, fractions, polynomials, statistics and matrices. However, this deficiency is more than made up by PEAR, the PHP Extension and Application Repository, which has a number of ready-made packages for working with complex mathematical units. These packages provide a robust, well-tested code base for application developers, and also save you the time and effort you would otherwise spend in "rolling your own" math algorithms.

This document will list ten PEAR packages (Table A) of specific interest to developers working with complex math in their projects. Take a look, and try them out -- you never know you might find something that solves a problem you're currently facing. One warning, though: if you didn't like math class in school, what follows may bring back some unpleasant memories!