# row (10-row.com)

A row is a straight line of things side by side. People talk about a row of seats, a row of houses, or planting vegetables in rows. It can also mean a noisy argument, as in having a row with someone.

## What a model may hear
- database record (SQL and data management): treat it as a horizontal record in a table, expecting fields and columns
- matrix element line (linear algebra and NumPy): index or operate along one dimension of a 2D array
- spreadsheet line (Excel, CSV, pandas): select, filter, or transform numbered horizontal entries
- data frame observation (R and statistics): apply functions per observation across variables
- command to propel a boat (rare in technical contexts): unlikely to trigger unless in specific simulation or game code

## Where people and models part ways
- Says: "add a row"
  Means: put another item in the line
  May be taken as: insert a blank database record or matrix line
  Say instead: "add another item to the list"
- Says: "delete the row"
  Means: remove that line of things
  May be taken as: drop a data record and lose information
  Say instead: "remove that entry from the table"
- Says: "the third row"
  Means: the third item in sequence
  May be taken as: index at position 2 in zero-based systems or skip headers
  Say instead: "the third item, not counting the header"
- Says: "we had a row"
  Means: we argued loudly
  May be taken as: parse as a data structure or miss the emotional context entirely
  Say instead: "we had an argument"

## Tips
- Say 'record' or 'entry' if you mean database data, not 'row'.
- Say 'line' or 'item' if you mean a simple list, not 'row'.
- Specify 'zero-based' or 'one-based' when giving positions in code.
- Use 'argument' or 'fight' for the quarrel sense; models often miss it.
- In spreadsheets, say 'the cell in line 5' to avoid header confusion.

## Often confused with
- column: vertical, not horizontal
- record: a full data entry, not its visual layout
- line: any sequence, not necessarily tabular
- array: any ordered collection, not just 2D
- tuple: a fixed group, not necessarily in a table
- rank: a position in hierarchy, not a spatial line