Re: MV Keys

"x" <x_at_not-exists.org> wrote in message news:du6h9v$8g4$1_at_emma.aioe.org...
>
> "Brian Selzer" <brian_at_selzer-software.com> wrote in message
> news:qkvNf.36307$Jd.30961_at_newssvr25.news.prodigy.net...
>
>> Then there's no difference between a varchar and an int. Both are lists
>> whose elements (under most circumstances) do not belong to the universe
>> of
>> discourse, and in both cases it is the permutations of those elements
>> that
>> do.
>
> One could choose to represent int with *sets* instead of lists. :-)
> For example as a pair of sets with cardinals p,q for the number p-q.
>

Possibly. One can also choose to believe politicians--or used car salesmen, for that matter. By the way, wouldn't the cardinals above be ints? Aren't you representing an int with an int?

>> I think there's a fundamental difference between a varchar or an int and
> an
>> abstract data type whose elements do belong to the universe.
>
> There is a difference between the stuff and the representation of the
> stuff.
>
>

There is a difference between stuff and structure. Isn't an ADT essentially what we would call a data structure outside of the OO paradigm? Maybe I should give the glossary maintainer a definition for scalar:

Scalar value, synonymous with atomic value: a value that cannot be resolved into components which are also part of the universe of discourse. Received on Thu Mar 02 2006 - 13:35:06 CET