Picture Definition and 416 Threads

COBOL (; an acronym for "common business-oriented language") is a compiled English-like computer programming language designed for business use. It is an imperative, procedural and, since 2002, object-oriented language. COBOL is primarily used in business, finance, and administrative systems for companies and governments. COBOL is still widely used in applications deployed on mainframe computers, such as large-scale batch and transaction processing jobs. However, due to its declining popularity and the retirement of experienced COBOL programmers, programs are being migrated to new platforms, rewritten in modern languages or replaced with software packages. Most programming in COBOL is now purely to maintain existing applications; however, many large financial institutions were still developing new systems in COBOL as late as 2006 due to the mainframe processing speed.COBOL was designed in 1959 by CODASYL and was partly based on the programming language FLOW-MATIC designed by Grace Hopper. It was created as part of a US Department of Defense effort to create a portable programming language for data processing. It was originally seen as a stopgap, but the Department of Defense promptly forced computer manufacturers to provide it, resulting in its widespread adoption. It was standardized in 1968 and has since been revised four times. Expansions include support for structured and object-oriented programming. The current standard is ISO/IEC 1989:2014.COBOL statements have an English-like syntax, which was designed to be self-documenting and highly readable. However, it is verbose and uses over 300 reserved words. In contrast with modern, succinct syntax like y = x;, COBOL has a more English-like syntax (in this case, MOVE x TO y).
COBOL code is split into four divisions (identification, environment, data, and procedure) containing a rigid hierarchy of sections, paragraphs and sentences. Lacking a large standard library, the standard specifies 43 statements, 87 functions and just one class.
Academic computer scientists were generally uninterested in business applications when COBOL was created and were not involved in its design; it was (effectively) designed from the ground up as a computer language for business, with an emphasis on inputs and outputs, whose only data types were numbers and strings of text.
COBOL has been criticized throughout its life for its verbosity, design process, and poor support for structured programming. These weaknesses result in monolithic, verbose (intended to be English-like) programs that are not easily comprehensible.

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  1. J

    How Do Electrons Behave Within an Atom?

    I find the mechanics of the atom are not clear to me. I understand that the Bohr "step" of electrons in orbit is non-applicable anymore, then there is De Broglie's wave theory, this is never built upon. I always find it just mentioned never expanded on, I'm left with basic questions, okay so do...
  2. J

    C# deleting picture boxes when it reaches certain location

    Homework Statement Hi, for our homework, we have to create a billiard game with c#. What I need help is when the picture box (containing a picture of a ball) reaches one of the pockets, how do I remove it from the form/program? Is there some kind of delete keyword I can use or will I have to...
  3. F

    Question now has a picture to match

    http://img60.imageshack.us/img60/7782/question6jh6.png The axis of a disk with radius of 0.05m is fitted into a slot that forms an angle of 30degs with the vertical axis. The disk is at rest when it is placed in contact with a convayor belt moving at contsant speed. The coefficent of kenetic...
  4. Andre

    Rime Ice Time: Perfect Picture in Freezing Fog

    So we need a new picture and the weather is freezing fog. Hence rime ice time. The bigger waters are still open, the fog is more intense there, the place to go for new rime ice pictures. 100% crop 100% crop Now, which one to enter in the contest?
  5. J

    Interaction picture (Is there a mistake in QFT books?)

    It is often stated that the transition amplitude between eigenstates of the free-field Hamiltonian H_0 is encoded by the S-matrix, defined by \langle \mathrm{f} | U{_\mathrm{I}} (\infty,-\infty)|\mathrm{i} \rangle. where U_{\mathrm{I}} is the time-evolution operator in the interaction...
  6. Andre

    Failed Winter Photo Contest Entries

    These pictures did not make it to the contest "winter weather". more later
  7. M

    What is the Astronomy Picture of the Day?

    http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap081215.html I saw this on Digg and decided to post it on here. Enjoy.
  8. L

    Can Life Magazine's Picture Archive on Google Revolutionize Historical Research?

    Now available on line through Google: http://images.google.com/hosted/life Images from the Civil War forward. They will have 107 images eventually.
  9. A

    Rates of Change (help) with picture

    hi my name is ken. i am a 11th grader taking calculus for my first year. Here are 3 problems my teacher is giving us in preparation for the upcoming test... I'm pretty clueless ! hope you guys could clear up the confusion for me. The pic: 1. So altitude is the height. What i get from...
  10. Andre

    Which Autumn Picture Should Win the Contest?

    So for the Autumn picture contest I chosed an awesome view of the Danube valley. Unfortunately the sun wasn't that bright that day. So the choice was scenery versus light. Scenery won, these were the losers:
  11. G

    What to learn to link EM wave to photon picture?

    I know undergrad QM fairly well. There they use the EM potential to introduce EM fields into the momentum. What should I study to understand the connection between EM fields and actual photon particles?
  12. S

    Hanging sign question - equillibrium (with picture)

    http://img355.imageshack.us/my.php?image=picture12ri5.jpg a beam is coming vertically from the wall, and a cord is coming diagonally from the wall. they are both supporting a signhanging from the end. what is the angle of the cord? i don't even know where to begin.
  13. T

    Changing a Folders Thumbnail Picture

    I am running Windows Vista and have an external harddrive connected via USB. I store all my music on it and want to change the thumbnail pictures to the album covers that are already in the folders but when I right click, customize and apply new thumbnail, nothing happens. Why can't I change my...
  14. P

    Investigating the Authenticity of a Shooting Star Picture

    I have this shooting star picture, and not sure if it's a fake. Have you got any ideas?
  15. S

    Insulator/Conductor Question with picture

    Homework Statement http://i215.photobucket.com/albums/cc95/warrenm_2007/elec.jpg Here is the problem: The red dots represent points of equal electric potential and the gray haze is the projected equipotential line. I am unsure about what happens to the electric field lines as they...
  16. R

    Simple Torque Problem With Picture, Help

    Homework Statement Homework Equations Torque(n/m)=Force(N)*Length(L) Basic Trigonometry The Attempt at a Solution The concept of torque is new to me, so I just need a push in the right direction here. lbs and ft are used so we are using non-metric? Should I convert them to metric? How...
  17. L

    High school physics basic question about two dimensional motion (WITH PICTURE)

    Stuck on this problem. I think acceleration is about 0.4m/s^2, but having the worst time trying to find direction. I think the sine or cosine law is supposed to be used?? Here's the question: http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm286/lanvin12/physics.jpg
  18. A

    Law to preserve motion quantity help ( picture included to help describe )

    Speed of a bullet shot into a pendulum ,picture included (dl attch. if pic won't show) Homework Statement You're supposed to be able to define the speed of a bullet with the help of a pendulum. The bullet is shot into a big tree piece ( The pendulum ) with a known mass (weight). The tree...
  19. J

    Pushing a lawnmower. picture included

    http://tinypic.com/view.php?pic=1zyvjut&s=4 Consider a lawnmower of weight w which can slide across a horizontal surface with a coefficient of friction mu. In this problem the lawnmower is pushed using a massless handle, which makes an angle theta with the horizontal. Assume that Fh, the...
  20. Artlav

    The inconsistent current picture of the universe?

    I can't help noticing some inconsistencies in either the accepted large-scale model of the universe or my understanding of it, so any explanations on the points provided are welcome. Point A: What are the evidence of the evidence that the universe is expanding? The red shifts of distant...
  21. F

    Understanding the Phenomenon in the Attached Picture

    please explain to me this phenomena (Details in the picture attached) - after answering my 2 questions , I would like to make a modification in the picture , the modification is : shifting the force F 1 to the left for 0.5 m , after shifting it 0.5 m would we have a moment at "B" and at "A" ...
  22. marcus

    Brian Greene picture book for young people (Icarus)

    The book's graphic designer Chip Kidd has sample pages. The book uses public domain pictures from the Hubble Space Telescope collection. http://www.goodisdead.com/index.php?/work/entry/icarus_at_the_edge_of_time_2008_interiors/ By clicking on sample pages at the above link, you get larger...
  23. ZapperZ

    FINAL VOTE Photo Contest - Bad Picture 3

    We have some really awful pictures for you to vote on in the final round of this contest. 1. lisab http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/327/badkittytr9.jpg 2. turbo-1 3. Moonbear 4. GeorginaS 5. Evo http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/417/camerapictures295ae1.jpg 6...
  24. ZapperZ

    VOTE Photo Contest Group 2 - Bad Picture 3

    This is the second polling group for this contest. Please vote for the picture that best represents the intent of the theme, which is a bad picture. 1. rewebster [no picture ] 2. Zenparticle http://img394.imageshack.us/img394/9756/picture082pk0.jpg 3. ~christina~...
  25. ZapperZ

    VOTE Photo Contest Group 1 - Bad Picture 3

    We have a lot of submission this week, but strangely enough, I find that some of the pictures to really be not "bad pictures". Still, it is up to the members to decide. Please make sure you vote for a BAD picture that best represents the intent of the theme. You have one vote to cast in each...
  26. N

    Can anyone supply me with a picture of

    a molecule? I'm looking for a background to my A1 research poster. It has to do with molecular spectra... It needs a resolution of more than 3000x3000. I've looked everywhere!:frown:
  27. ZapperZ

    PF PHOTO CONTEST - Bad Picture 3 (8/2-8/8)

    Bad Picture 3 This theme has always been one of our more popular theme. Find a photo that you took that is really bad. This degree of "badness" can be due to fuzzyness, underexposure, overexposure, etc. Any picture that it technically bad qualifies. NOTE: You cannot use pictures that have...
  28. W

    What Is the Simplest Picture for Entangled Particles?

    I understand a wavepacket as a better description of a particle than the classical 'solid object' but is there a similar simple picture for an entangled pair? Is it a double wave packet? Is it two joined wavepackets? Is it one wave packet with two objects in it? Is it actually one complex...
  29. T

    Checking Your Homework: Solving the Equation in the Picture

    Homework Statement http://img117.imageshack.us/img117/1289/archbw3.jpg [/URL] Homework Equations Formula on picture above. The Attempt at a Solution I am just wondering if I got the answer right.
  30. Cyrus

    Is Balancing Chakras a Legitimate University Health Event?

    An email I got: Notice the parts in bold. I really should send them an email saying what f' is a health center at a university doing promoting such bullshizza as 'chakras'. Better not upset the fung-sway of my charkas or the bhraman buddist gods of tea leaves might be angry! :rolleyes:
  31. Holocene

    Does anyone know the story behind this picture? (Warning: somewhat offensive)

    http://www.pariswerlin.com/images/photos/nigel/holocaust.jpg ...,
  32. pellman

    Time translation in the heisenberg picture?

    A fundamental quantity that we calculate with QM is \langle \Phi|\Psi\rangle-- the probability amplitude for observing a system to be in state |\Phi\rangle given that it is in state |\Psi\rangle. In the Schrodinger picture the states are time-dependent and we can ask, "What is the probability...
  33. C

    Mech - Girder Section - Picture included

    Homework Statement http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/8958/mechanicsgv3.jpg The Attempt at a Solution (i) Is the weight balanced on both sides in a situation like this, in which case it would be: Or are the weights not equal and infact I am meant to work it out with dimensions in...
  34. L

    Did I Make a Mistake? A Sign Error in an Exercise Answer

    Did I do this right? An exercise in a book where my answer came out opposite from the author's. [PLAIN]"camoo.freeshell.org/22.9.pdf"[/URL] Laura
  35. N

    Picture of sinusoidal curve with 5 points

    Homework Statement Sorry I can't provide a visual for this problem, but I'll try my best to explain it Given: picture of sinusoidal curve with 5 points from left to right, H C D B A H is on downward slope C is a min D is a max B is on upward slope A is on upward slope to the right of B...
  36. P

    Can someone explain this physics passage and picture?

    On page 319 of this book, with regards to the conical capillaries: http://books.google.com/books?id=EoExAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA319&lpg=PA319&dq=conical+capillary&source=web&ots=7YAXey0det&sig=Xr8x61FArV8fK4r0vpR_McJlQIk#PPA319,M1 One particular point that I feel needs further clarifying is that...
  37. F

    Explain to me the the physics behind this picture?

    Can someone please explain to me the the physics behind this picture? I think it has something to do with refraction. If someone could explain I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks in advance http://www.aapt.org/contests/pc07full.cfm?Meeting=sm07&Category=Contrived&Placing=1
  38. wolram

    How Can One-Dimensional Particles Transform a Hollow Box into a Solid Object?

    You have a box obviously it is three dimensional but hollow, using dimensions how would you turn this box into a solid object? The top, bottom, ends and sides of the box two dimensional.
  39. T

    Stuck on Torque Question (W/ Picture)

    Homework Statement A uniform beam of 6.6 meters with a weight of 42.67 Newtons is pinned to a wall and supports a weight of 19.62 Newtons.The beam is angled up at 16 degrees and the right end of the beam is supported by a cable attached to the other side of the wall. Find the value of; Tension...
  40. D

    Find Free Grain Size Images for ASTM (G) 10.48 @ 400x

    Im doing a report on grain size/specimen prep, I was given a copied picture out of a textbook which I calculated ASTM grain size on...then I lost the picture. The problem is I still need to calculate grain size using grain diameter, just wondering if there are any sites that offer up pictures...
  41. M

    At what velocity does the stone impact? (Link to picture included)

    I have no clue how to do this problem, so if someone could explain to me step by step, it would be greatly appreciated! <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee10/mitochondria3/DavidGoliath.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and...
  42. K

    Can Orbital Viewer help visualize complex orbitals?

    I'm not sure why, but I could never really picture & grasp this concept. Say you're drawing the orbitals of an atom, the 1s & 2s orbitals are pretty easy to draw. They are just spheres with a node in between them. Now do these orbitals overlap, or does one start where the node ends? What...
  43. Garth

    Flat-space picture of gravity vs. General Relativity

    A eprint on today's Physics ArXiv: Flat-space picture of gravity vs. General Relativity: a precision test for present ether-drift experiments. The authors are professors in the Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Catania Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia dell’ Universit`a di...
  44. P

    What is the ultimate truth of our existence?

    It's an abstract thought which I'm trying to convey here... ****Please bear with the Bad English...but the Idea is really abstract I just couldn't help being lost************ All inquiry...(philosophy, astrology, cosmology, physics...everything) and the quest to understand the world...
  45. M

    Fixing the Timer1 Glitch - Moving a Picture Box on a Screen

    Just have to get a picture box to move around a screen, I'm running the program by a timer. I'll show set integers below. Timer = Timer1 Picture Box = Robot Dim Robotpace as integer Basically, when you click on the start button it enables the timer. Here's the coding. Private...
  46. M

    Usefulness of Heisenberg picture?

    I'm a little confused as to why anyone would want to use the Heisenberg picture of time evolution instead of the Schrodinger picture, beyond showing that the equations of motion are similar to those of classical mechanics. For example, consider a free particle. Using the Heisenberg equations of...
  47. Gauged

    How do I upload an avatar picture?

    Simple question, verging on idiotic, but how exactly do I go about uploading an avatar picture? I can't seem to find how to do it.
  48. ZapperZ

    VOTE Photo Contest - Bad Picture 2

    Alright. Do you vote for the best-looking bad picture, or the worst looking bad picture? You decide! 1. neutrino 2. FredGarvin http://img411.imageshack.us/img411/5832/buckinghampalace1hc9.jpg 3. turbo-1 4. Kurdt http://img485.imageshack.us/img485/2998/smonumentto7.jpg 5...
  49. ZapperZ

    PF PHOTO CONTEST - Bad Picture 2 (10/1-10-7)

    Bad Picture 2 The last time we had this theme, it was a lot of fun, especially during the voting period (do I choose the best looking bad picture, or the worst looking bad picture?). So we will recycle this theme. Post your technically bad picture here. It can either be over-exposed, blurry...
  50. M

    Producing X-Rays from a Television Picture Tube

    Can X rays be produced by a television picture tube? My attempt It is possible that X-rays can be produced by a television picture tube or a Cathode Ray tube because by altering the CRT X- rays may be produced. I have no idea if that is true but i think so.
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