What alternatives to using eval() can be implemented for evaluating mathematical expressions in PHP?

Using eval() to evaluate mathematical expressions can be a security risk as it allows for the execution of arbitrary code. To avoid this risk, alternative methods such as using built-in PHP functions like `evalMath()` from the `evalMath` library or implementing a custom parser can be used to evaluate mathematical expressions in a safer manner.

// Using the evalMath library
require_once 'evalmath.php';
$evalMath = new EvalMath();
$result = $evalMath->evaluate('2 + 2');

// Implementing a custom parser
function evaluateMathExpression($expression) {
    $result = null;
    // Implement your custom parsing logic here
    return $result;
}

$result = evaluateMathExpression('2 + 2');