How I wish I am more creative ... imaginatively and artistically. One of the most difficult topics to explain during training is rank. I know for a fact that I mangle its true meaning (please don't hurt me) whenever I explain them to .NET programmers. I eventually (ALWAYS) end up drawing cubes on whiteboards particularly when trying to introduce them to the concept of data with more than one dimension. Since the J session would just print out multi-dimensional data in a flat representation ... I sometimes had to come up with sample excel reports which requires pivots and show how it's done in Excel and how it's done in J. It does get the message across but it normally backfires since the recipients of the training tends to be wowed by Excel (familiar to them) instead of J.
A visual representation on multi-dimensional data in 3D/animation, like your describing, would be really nice. r/Alex -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Tracy Harms Sent: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 1:57 AM To: Chat forum Subject: Re: [Jchat] New reference animation for x + y in NuVoc An idea I like is to take the diagram into a third axis, along these lines: First: Reposition the two arrays so that they're loosly stacked (shifting to a 3-d perspective drawing in that animation. Then, take the addition operator duplicate into (*/ @ $) copies that spread from the original into a matrix the same size as the nouns. This verb matrix would be produced between the two noun layers described above. (They were described as "loosly" stacked so that there is natural room for this third layer to be drawn.) The diagramming of the verb as existing for each atom of each array seems to me a natural visual representation of the rank-zero relationship. (Having a visual representation of rank relationships does not require that they be explained when first shown, yet will provide a visual mnemonic for eventual discussion.) Resolution to the result might be shown by drawing the results in a new (fourth) parallel panel. Or the animation could show a convergence of the two noun panels onto the infixed verb panel, with all of them replaced by the result noun at collision. (The latter appeals to me.) This technique would allow the addition to be shown as conceptually parallel, avoiding inaccurate implications of sequencing. It would also take advantage of the multi-axial thinking that J involves. -- Tracy On Tue, Feb 23, 2010 at 11:59 AM, bob therriault <[email protected]>wrote: > Thanks Tracy, > > I wrestled with this as well. The options I explored were: > > 1) ... > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
