Constructing a simple interpreter

Question

I’m starting a project where I need to implement a light-weight interpreter. The interpreter is used to execute simple scientific algorithms. The programming language that t

Answer 1

The programming language that this interpreter will use should be simple, since it is targeting non- software developers.

I'm going to chime in on this part of your question. A simple language is not what you really want to hand to non-software developers. Stripped down languages require more effort by the programmer. What you really want id a well designed and well implemented Domain Specific Language (DSL).

In this sense I will second what Norman Ramsey recommends with Lua. It has an excellent reputation as a base for high quality DSLs. A well documented and useful DSL takes time and effort, but will save everyone time in the long run when domain experts can be brought up to speed quickly and require minimal support.