What a Sequence of Symbols Really is...
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What is a Symbol?
RWS02/DEF-0001 A Symbol is a mark, sign, or word that indicates, signifies, or is understood as representing an idea, object, or relationship within a defined context Discussion
2 Symbols allow people to go beyond what is known or seen by creating linkages between otherwise very different concepts and experiences. ALL COMMUNICATION (and data processing) is achieved through the use of symbols
Source: Wikipedia DHRF emphasis
What is a Token?
” In computer programming, the term magic number has multiple meanings. It could refer to one or more of the following:”
- “Unique values with unexplained meaning or multiple occurrences which could (preferably) be replaced with named constants”
- “A constant numerical or text value used to identify a file format or protocol; for files, see List of file signatures”
- “Distinctive unique values that are unlikely to be mistaken for other meanings”
“The fact that all Mathematics is Symbolic Logic is one of the greatest discoveries of our age” - Bertrand Russell, The Principles of Mathematics
DHRF’s definition of “Token”
DHRF has not so far found an adequate definition of “Token“ within the context of our research activities…
So, for the purposes of its Research Work Streams, DHRF has created and uses this definition:
RWS02/DEF-0002 A Token is a defined way of encoding functionality, using one or more symbols Discussion
RWS02/GFE-1014: “A Token is a defined way of encoding functionality, using one or more symbols”
- A token’s name will often be identified by the use of a unique mnemonic
- A token will often change the context of how some following symbols in the data stream are parsed
- This allows the token to pass arguments (parameters) which may qualify the functionality and/or the scope of the token
DHRF’s definition of a “Meta-Token”
RWS02/DEF-0003 A Meta-Token is a collection of Tokens working one after the other to provide ‘aggregated functionality’ Discussion
What are Symbols & Tokens used for?
Put very fundamentally, various kinds of Symbols and Tokens are used to encode various kinds of functionality into defined datastreams
A very simple illustration of this is how well-defined symbols and tokens are used in ASCII encoding
What is Data?
Data “… are units of information, often numeric, that are collected through observation. In a more technical sense, data are a set of values of qualitative or quantitative variables about one or more persons or objects… Although the terms “data” and “information” are often used interchangeably, these terms have distinct meaning” 3 Source: Wikipedia
What is Serial Data?
Learning Resources: An Introduction to Serial Data
Ok, so what is “information” then?
“Information is processed, organised and structured data. It provides context for data and enables decision making processes. For example, a single customer’s sale at a restaurant is data – this becomes information when the business is able to identify the most popular or least popular dish” Source: Wikipedia
“More technically, information can be thought of as the resolution of uncertainty that manifests itself as patterns; it answers the question of “What an entity is” and thus defines both its essence and the nature of its characteristics. The concept of information has different meanings in different contexts” Source: Wikipedia
In view of DHRF’s commitment to support learning, there is a much higher “learning content” in the Research Work Streams than would otherwise be the case… Please be aware of that ↩
DH Comments: “I so love this Wikipedia definition of a symbol… It is so perfect and ‘spot-on’ that I did not try to find another definition elsewhere” ↩
Data is comprised of Symbols & Tokens, all of which have clearly defined meanings ↩