class matrix
{
    int _ord; int _size; matrix *_mat; float _val; bool _isinit;
    int _totsize;
    public:
        matrix() {}; matrix(matrix &) {};
        matrix(int ord,int size)
        {
            _ord=ord; _size=size; _totsize=int(pow(size,ord+1)); _isinit=true;
            
            if (_ord>0) // decompose
            {
                _mat= new matrix [_size];
                for (int i=0; i<_size; i++)
                {
                    matrix mat(_ord-1,_size);
                    _mat[i]= (matrix&) mat;
                };
            };
            if (_ord==0) {_val=0.;}; // zero order initialised
        };
        int ord(void) {return _ord;}; int size(void) {return _size;};
        int totsize(void) {return _totsize;};
        bool isinit(void) {return _isinit;};  
        
        // submatrix operations
        matrix get(int i) // higher order ***problem?
        {
            return _mat[i]; // at this point _mat[i] is correct
        }; 
        void put(int i, matrix &mat) // tested ok
        {
            _mat[i]=mat;
        };
        
        float get() {return _val;}; // zero order, tested ok
        void put(float val) {_val=val;}; // tested ok
};

    
// test program
int main(int argc, char *argv[])
{
    matrix a(0,1), c(0,1); matrix b(1,1);
    a.put(7.11); c.put(-1.33);  
    b.put(0,a); b.put(1,c); 
    
    cout <<int ((b.get(0)).get()) <<"\t"; // this prints nonsense, why? what happened to the floating point value stored in _mat[]?
    system("PAUSE");
    return 0;
};

        // submatrix operations
        matrix get(int i) // higher order ***problem?
        {
            return _mat[i]; // at this point _mat[i] is correct
        };

        matrix() {}; matrix(matrix &) {};