 Because the source code is fully tokenized when it is entered, the entire tokenization and parsing steps are already complete.Even complex mathematical operations are ready-to-run, with any numerical constants already converted to the internal 40-bit format, and variables values are looked up by address rather than having to be searched for.In spite of these theoretical advantages, in practice, Atari BASIC is slower than other home computer BASICs, often by a large amount.