🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <sb9e0INNdbb@network.ucsd.edu> mbk@lyapunov.ucsd.edu (Matt Kennel) writes:
> On the other hand, what does it mean to index an array with a complex number?

Well, that depends. If you're talking about an integral complex number then
it could be quite useful. If you're talking about a complex real then you need
to address the question of what it means to index an array with a real.

Perhaps your array contains a set of experimental results, and you want to
extract the result for a given phase. Then:

	A = array(complex integer) of float;
	c = function_returning_complex_float(args);

	A(c) = x

Becomes equivalent to:

	A = array(integer, integer) of float;

	A(integer(real(c)), integer(complex(c))) = x

[irrelevant discussion about terse languages omitted... I would
 hardly call Smalltalk terse]
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