Array

An array is a sequential list¹ of values, where position in the sequence denotes some particular relevance to the user.  Arrays may take any order.

We allow degenerate forms to exist, so that scalars and vectors can also be considered arrays.  When the positions in the listing require exactly two numbers² for access, an array is often referred to as a “matrix”. Many applications, however, are easier to understand when the more specialized terms are used.

Footnotes

1.  this could be read as “ordered list”, but that might confuscate the concept with other uses of the term[↩]
2. i.e., “two-dimensional”[↩]