ARPs

Arps is a plural term that can refer to multiple topics associated with the surname Arp or the acronym ARP. This article provides a brief overview of the most common uses.

In astronomy, Arp refers to Halton Arp and his Atlas of Peculiar Galaxies, published in 1966. The atlas catalogs 338 galaxies with unusual morphologies, such as tidal features, interactions, and asymmetric structures. Entries are designated Arp followed by a number (for example, Arp 188). The catalog is widely used to study galaxy interactions, mergers, and star formation.

In people, Arp is a surname. Notable bearers include Hans Arp, also known as Jean Arp (1886–1966), a German-French sculptor and painter associated with Dada and abstract art; and Sophie Taeuber-Arp (1889–1943), a Swiss artist who was his wife and collaborator. The Arps contributed prominently to early 20th-century modernism and avant-garde movements.

In computing, ARP stands for Address Resolution Protocol, a network protocol that maps IPv4 addresses to MAC (hardware) addresses on local networks. ARP requests are broadcast, and ARP replies provide the corresponding MAC address. In IPv6, a similar function is performed by the Neighbor Discovery Protocol rather than ARP. The plural ARPs may refer to multiple ARP messages or cached mappings; ARP spoofing is a known security concern.