The J dictionary uses "atom" and "scalar" synonymously, much like "verb" and "function", and does not distinguish atom and scalar in the way described in the appended msg. Section II A http://www.jsoftware.com/help/dictionary/dicta.htm says: Arrays of ranks 0, 1, and 2 are also called _atom_, _list_, and _table_, or, in math, _scalar_, _vector_, and _matrix_.
One can read too much into the meaning of the word "atom" (indivisible). In the immediately following paragraph, it says: A single entity such as 2.3 or _2.3j5 or 'A' or '+' is called an atom. An entity such as _2.3j5 or even 2.3 _is_ divisible if you change the terms of reference. In J, atom (or scalar) just means rank-0 array. Regarding the monad <y, the dictionary page for < http://www.jsoftware.com/help/dictionary/d010.htm says that <y is an _atomic encoding_ of y , ... ----- Original Message ----- From: Dan Bron <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Date: Thursday, April 5, 2007 7:36 am Subject: Re: [Jgeneral] Need a word for a non-atomic array > I would also like to emphasize a distinction that no one has draw > in recent discussions: > > A scalar is a rank zero array. > An atom is an open scalar. > > That, is: an atom is fundamental. Indivisible. A building block. > It has no structure; hence, no structural changes can be made to > it. The monad < produces _scalars_, not atoms. To be precise: > > > scalar =: '' -: $ > atom =: scalar *. 0 -: L. NB. Or scalar *. (-: >) > > > -Dan ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
