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        riddles >> general problem-solving / chatting / whatever >> Coulmn, row, then what?
        
(Message started by: Noke Lieu on Apr 10^th, 2006, 11:24pm)

Title: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by Noke Lieu on Apr 10^th, 2006, 11:24pm

I've reached a gaping hole in my knowledge, and googling isn't really helpin gme that much. So maybe you can help.

In a matrix x by y, x can be called row, y can be column.
Indeed, change it to a chess board, and one can have file and rank.

But what are they called when dealing with a 3-d matrix?

Feeling silly (and very full)
ME

Title: Re: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by towr on Apr 11^th, 2006, 12:40am

I think I'd go with row, file and column.
Columns traditionally stand. A row is things next to each other, and a file things one behind the other..

I'm not sure if there is an accepted terminology for it though, 3D matrices seem rare..

Title: Re: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by SMQ on Apr 11^th, 2006, 2:56am

I've also seen column, row and plane used fairly routinely in computer graphics for x, y and z coordinates respectively.

--SMQ

Title: Re: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by Icarus on Apr 11^th, 2006, 4:55pm

I've heard both file and plane used. There is no established convention about this. Call them "filberts", if you want.

Generally, by the time mathematicians and physicists get to "3D matrices", they start calling them tensors, and are also looking at more than 3 dimensions. At this point, it becomes ridiculous to try to come up with naming conventions for each indice (or dimension), and you just start numbering them. The main concern now is whether the dimension is covariant or contravariant.

Title: Re: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by rmsgrey on Apr 16^th, 2006, 3:37am

I'd be tempted to go for floor myself...

Title: Re: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by towr on Apr 16^th, 2006, 6:55am

Floors and planes are two dimensional though, so it's a bit at odds with rows and colums..

Title: Re: Coulmn, row, then what?
Post by rmsgrey on Apr 16^th, 2006, 7:31am

on 04/16/06 at 06:55:19, towr wrote:

Floors and planes are two dimensional though, so it's a bit at odds with rows and colums..

Yeah, but in 3D each co-ordinate specifies a plane anyway - it feels more intuitive to let row and column specify a set of cells, each within a horizontal plane, and specify which plane as a plane than either obvious alternative (using three words for planes or using three words for lines)