TechWhirl (TECHWR-L) is a resource for technical writing and technical communications professionals of all experience levels and in all industries to share their experiences and acquire information.
For two decades, technical communicators have turned to TechWhirl to ask and answer questions about the always-changing world of technical communications, such as tools, skills, career paths, methodologies, and emerging industries. The TechWhirl Archives and magazine, created for, by and about technical writers, offer a wealth of knowledge to everyone with an interest in any aspect of technical communications.
Subject:RE: Nitpicky word question: matrix vs. table? From:"Hart, Geoff" <Geoff-H -at- MTL -dot- FERIC -dot- CA> To:"TECHWR-L" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Mon, 5 Mar 2001 08:29:49 -0500
Steve Hudson responds in more detail: <<Every element in matrix is related
to its neighbouring elements. You cannot
take an element out of a matrix and expect it to have any meaning. It is
only through its relationship with the other entities that it expresses its
value. Generally speaking, a table cell only bears linear relationships with
the headings on its x and y axis.>>
Much clearer, thanks; in effect, a table is a matrix for which the
relationships between the row and column elements are set in stone as soon
as you define the row and column labels (thereby usually confining
relationships to purely horizontal or purely vertical within the table). But
(a) that's still an oversimplification, since many tables require you to
compare two or more rows or columns of data simultaneously, just as in a
matrix, and (b) that more precise definition still doesn't rebut my original
point, namely that outside mathematics, the two meanings are essentially
synonymous.
--Geoff Hart, FERIC, Pointe-Claire, Quebec
geoff-h -at- mtl -dot- feric -dot- ca
"User's advocate" online monthly at
www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/usersadvocate.html
"The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that
English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don't just borrow words;
on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them
unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary."-- James D. Nicoll
IPCC 01, the IEEE International Professional Communication Conference,
October 24-27, 2001 at historic La Fonda in Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
CALL FOR PAPERS OPEN UNTIL MARCH 15. http://ieeepcs.org/2001/
---
You are currently subscribed to techwr-l as: archive -at- raycomm -dot- com
To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-techwr-l-obscured -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com
Send administrative questions to ejray -at- raycomm -dot- com -dot- Visit http://www.raycomm.com/techwhirl/ for more resources and info.
