From: Jeremy Bopp <jeremy@...>
Date: 2011-02-02T14:59:56+09:00
Subject: Re: What is the reason behind Array#zip's name?

On 02/01/2011 11:54 PM, Kevin wrote:
> I'm just curious I know that Array#zip generates a new array from arguments
> passed to it.  What I don't get is why it is called zip.  Is it because of
> how the results are computed into the new array?

I think it's inherited from a similarly named function that carries out
the same operation in some functional programming languages.  I remember
first being introduced to it in Haskel, but I'm sure it's been around
longer.

In any case, you can think of the basic operation of zip as being like a
zipper, linking pairs of elements together at the same index in each
array.  The arrays have been zipped together.  This has been generalized
for n arrays, but the concept is the same.

-Jeremy