C#, C++, Fortran...?

I'm a mechanical engineer with very very minimal programming experience, but I am looking into learning to program.





I need to write a few programs to solve complex mathematical equations but am a little confused at which one to use. I went to microsoft.com to take a look at their 'express' programs to download, but am uncertain which one to pick (if any of them).





Fortran has been suggested, but Fortran is so old. Is there anything other programs that might be more suitable with handling complex equations. I would prefer something with a tutorial attached.





C# ??, C++?, anything?

C#, C++, Fortran...?
Most of the traditional engineers I know either use Matlab or Fortran for programming. I think this is mainly because they can both do operations on vectors of numbers rather than having to write loops, which for some reason scares them. Matlab will probably be the fastest way to write your programs, and there are probably lots of tutorials available.





Scientists and physicists generally use Fortran, and they don't use it correctly, but it still works.





If you want a marketable skill, learn C and C++ rather than C#, because you can move to non-Microsoft systems pretty easily.
Reply:If you just want to solve math try Mathcad





http://www.ptc.com/appserver/mkt/product...
Reply:for engineering Fortran IS likely the best choice (old or not) if you choose a C variant go with C#
Reply:Since you are an engineer, I would suggest that you use C++. It is a structured language that has been around for a long while. It will allow you to do exactly what you need with minimal extra coding. (C# is bad about fluff code). Also C++ compliers are far more availible than Fortran, but C++ is also pretty old, like i said.