A finite, ordered set of elements
The term “Tuple” refers to a bound set of values, in a given order. This has implications in math and computer science. Many programming languages include special handling for Tuple data types.
Distinction from “Sequence” in Math
- Tuples are finite, sequences aren’t always
- Sequences always have the same type of elements, a Tuple could include a number, a matrix, and some sort of formula
Distinction from “List” in Python
- Tuples are immutable, lists may be changed after they are declared
Examples
- (4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42)
- (4, “eight”, 15, 16, “twenty three”, 42)
- A distinct set of (x, y, z) as an input to a given function: f(x, y, z)
- In relational databases, the contents of a row are a Tuple