Thank you! I have always liked that quote.
On 10/21/2011 12:19 AM, Eldon Eller wrote: > “When /I/ use a word,” Humpty Dumpty said, in rather a scornful > tone, “it means just what I choose it to mean—neither more nor less.” > “The question is,” said Alice, “whether you /can/ make words mean > so many different things.” > “The question is,” said Humpty Dumpty, “which is to be masterthat’s > all.” > Alice was too much puzzled to say anything, so after a minute > Humpty Dumpty began again. “They’ve a temper, some of them—particularly > verbs, they’re the proudest—adjectives you can do anything with, but not > verbs—however, /I/ can manage the whole lot! Impenetrability! That’s > what /I/ say! > > --- Lewis Carroll, "Through the Looking Glass." It is evident that Lewis > Carroll was a mathematician. > > > On 10/20/2011 09:45 PM, Ric Sherlock wrote: >> I'm very happy thinking of a scalar as a zero rank array. I.e. scalars >> aren't distinct from arrays, they are just a type of array. >> >> Distinguishing a scalar from a single-element list can be confusing, >> but the same issue applies to lists and single-row tables etc. It is >> not confined to scalars vs arrays. >> >> On Fri, Oct 21, 2011 at 5:28 PM, Alan Stebbens<[email protected]> wrote: >>> On Oct 20, 2011, at 8:24 PM, Roger Hui wrote: >>> >>>> You have to use a different word than "noun". It's already taken and >>>> it means "array". >>> Roger, >>> >>> I have to agree with Rich. >>> >>> With all due respect (and that is not a trite phrase -- I really _do_ >>> respect the tremendous work and thought that you have put into APL and J), >>> it seems incorrect to me to say that the word "noun" means "array". >>> >>> The object on which verbs operate, that is, a noun, can be either an array, >>> or a scalar. >>> >>> The J Primer says that >>> >>>> In the following sentence the numbers 2 and 5 are both nouns. >>>> >>>> 2 + 5 >>> In the example, both 2 and 5 are scalars. So, a noun, by definition, is >>> at least a scalar. >>> >>> But, from other examples, we know that a noun can also be an array. >>> >>> So a noun is either a scalar or an array. >>> >>> This can be demonstrated in J itself: >>> >>>> f =: 3 : 0 >>>> (('Rank';$$y),:('Shape';$y)),'Tally';#y >>>> ) >>>> f '' NB. strings are arrays, even empty strings >>>> ┌─────┬─┐ >>>> │Rank │1│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Shape│0│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Tally│0│ >>>> └─────┴─┘ >>>> f 1 NB. pass a scalar (no rank) >>>> ┌─────┬─┐ >>>> │Rank │0│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Shape│ │ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Tally│1│ >>>> └─────┴─┘ >>>> f ,1 NB. pass an array of one scalar >>>> ┌─────┬─┐ >>>> │Rank │1│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Shape│1│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Tally│1│ >>>> └─────┴─┘ >>>> f 1 2 NB. pass an array of two scalars >>>> ┌─────┬─┐ >>>> │Rank │1│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Shape│2│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Tally│2│ >>>> └─────┴─┘ >>>> f 0$1 NB. pass an empty array (zero shape) >>>> ┌─────┬─┐ >>>> │Rank │1│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Shape│0│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Tally│0│ >>>> └─────┴─┘ >>>> f ''$1 NB. pass a null rank object (scalar) >>>> ┌─────┬─┐ >>>> │Rank │0│ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Shape│ │ >>>> ├─────┼─┤ >>>> │Tally│1│ >>>> └─────┴─┘ >>> Alan >>> >>> >>> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >>> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm >> ---------------------------------------------------------------------- >> For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For information about J forums see http://www.jsoftware.com/forums.htm
