bundnum

Bundnum is a conceptual data construct used in theoretical computer science and information theory to represent a cohesive bundle of related numeric values. A bundnum comprises a numeric payload and an accompanying metadata record that describes context such as source, scale, and timestamp. The concept is used to discuss efficient representations of multiple numbers that are semantically linked, enabling operations that treat the group as a single unit while preserving individual elements.

The name combines bundle and num(ber); it was coined to emphasize the bundled nature of the values and their numeric form.

The core is an ordered list of numbers. Optional fields include type, unit, and precision. Common operations are create, split, merge, and transform. A bundnum can be serialized for transmission or storage and can be accompanied by a lightweight index for quick access to elements.

In data processing, bundnums can reduce overhead when transmitting multi-sensor readings, statistics, or experimental results. They appear in discussions of compact data formats, streaming pipelines, and in theoretical models of grouped numeric data.

Some proposals differentiate between fixed-length bundnums and variable-length ones; others introduce bundnum maps, where each position holds a value keyed by an index.

As a theoretical construct, bundnums are not a standard data type in mainstream languages; practical implementations require careful handling of endianness, precision, and encoding.