efficient vector/matrix operations in Ada

[Russ <18k11tm001@sneakemail.com>]

Several years ago I developed a C++ class for vector/matrix operations.
I decided to do the same in Ada as an excercize. A key lesson I learned
about C++ is that vector/matrix operations can be done much more
efficiently using the arithmetic "assignment" operators such as "+="
instead of "+". I am interested in how this is handled in Ada.

Suppose A and B are matrices. The expression

    A = A + B; // inefficient

is much less efficient than

    A += B; // efficient

The former requires the dynamic construction of a temporary matrix to
hold the sum (A + B), which must then be passed by value and copied into
A. This can take three or four times as long as the addition "in place"
using "+=". That is simply unacceptable for numerically intensive
applications such as Monte Carlo simulations.

Since Ada has no arithmetic assignment operators, are vector/matrix
operations in Ada simply inefficient, or do Ada programmers resort to
tacky, ambiguous expressions like

    PlusEquals(A,B);

-- 
Russ P.
http://RussP.org