what is tuple

tuple

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1)在 LISP、Python、 Linda以及其他一些编程语言中，元组是一个有序数值的集合，每个数值通常以逗号隔开，元组通常作为一个数据类型来：(1)在程序之间传递一串参数 ；(2)在关系数据库中代表一个数值属性的集合。在有些语言中，元组之间可以嵌套，他们用小括号或这种括号或者其他分隔符分来。元组的元素可以是不同的数 据类型。

　　以下是一个元组的例子，它强调一个元组的元素刻意属于不同的数据类型：　

　　17，*，2.49，Seven

　　上面这个例子有时候被称作四元组，因为它有四个元素。n元组的元素数量是不确定的。

2)元组类似于非关系数据库中的记录。
术语来源于：single(1) -> double(2) -> triple(3) ->quadruple(4)->quintuple(5)-> n-tuple(n)。
在数学理论中，tuple用来指多维坐标系。

原文：http://whatis.techtarget.com/

tuple

1) In programming languages, such as LISP, Python, Linda, and others, a tuple (pronounced TUH-pul) is an ordered set of values. The separator for each value is often a comma (depending on the rules of the particular language). Common uses for the tuple as a data type are (1) for passing a string of parameters from one program to another, and (2) representing a set of value attributes in a relational database. In some languages, tuples can be nested within other tuples within parentheses or brackets or other delimiters. Tuples can contain a mixture of other data types.

Here's an example of a tuple that emphasizes the different data types that may exist within a tuple data type:

17,*,2.49,Seven

The above example is sometimes referred to as a 4-tuple, since it contains four values. An n-tuple would be one with an indeterminate or unspecified number of values.

2) A tuple is analogous to a record in nonrelational databases.

The term originated as an abstraction of the sequence: single, double, triple, quadruple, quintuple, ... n-tuple. Tuple is used in abstract mathematics to denote a multidimensional coordinate system.