Question at position 29 Unlike columns, the rows of a relation may not be interchanged and must be stored in one sequence. TrueFalseSingle choice
A
True
B
False

Question

Question at position 29 Unlike columns, the rows of a relation may not be interchanged and must be stored in one sequence. TrueFalse

BlackTom AI · Accepted Answer

In the relational model both tuples (rows) and attributes (columns) are treated as unordered sets, so the statement is false.

1) Relevant knowledge points and concepts
- Relation: defined as a set of tuples; a set has no inherent order.
- Tuple: an ordered list is sometimes used in implementation, but logically a tuple is a mapping from attribute names to values; the order of tuples in a relation is not significant.
- Attribute (column): attributes are identified by name; the order of attributes in a relation is not semantically significant either.
- SQL/implementations: physical storage or presentation may impose an order (e.g., ORDER BY or storage clustering), but this does not change the relational model semantics.

2) Step-by-step reasoning
- Start from the formal definition: a relation is a set of tuples. By set theory, elements of a set have no order.
- Therefore tuples (rows) in a relation are unordered and can be interchanged without changing the relation’s meaning.
- Attributes are identified by names; although one may display columns in any sequence, the logical content does not depend on column ordering.
- The statement claims rows “may not be interchanged and must be stored in one sequence” and contrasts that “unlike columns,” implying columns can be interchanged but rows cannot. This contradicts the relational model.

3) Intermediate logical steps
- Relation = set of tuples ⇒ tuple order irrelevant.
- Attribute names define positions ⇒ attribute order irrelevant for semantics.
- Any observed ordering is an implementation/presentation concern, not a relational constraint.

4) Why the correct answer is correct
- Because the relational model treats rows as unordered, the claim that rows must be stored in one sequence and cannot be interchanged is incorrect. Both rows and columns lack semantic order.

5) Why the other option (True) is incorrect
- Choosing True would assert a constraint contrary to the formal relational model and common theory: rows can be interchanged without changing the relation, so the True option is false.

6) Conclusion
- The correct answer is False, which matches the provided answer.

Question at position 29 Unlike columns, the rows of a relation may not be interchanged and must be stored in one sequence. TrueFalseSingle choice

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