Fractal Glossary
Acronyms and terms used by Fractal

100-Year Problem

The theoretical problem of designing technology or systems that can continue to be effective and perform comparably for the next 100 years, regardless of technological progress.

4096-Bit Encryption

See Vecton Encryption

Amoebization

The act of self-dissecting a Fractal

Amoebized Fractal

The resulting new Fractal after amoebization

Antecedent

One that comes before

Apex Node

One of the primary backbone nodes in a consortium

API

Application Programming Interface: A set of functions and procedures allowing the creation of applications that access the features or data of an operating system, application, or other service.

ARB

Augmented Relational Database

Asynchronous

Allowing multiple operations to happen at the same time: a form of computer control timing protocol in which a specific operation begins upon receipt of an indication (signal) that the preceding operation has been completed.

Augmented Relational Database

Augmented Relational Database

Authenticator Card

A credit card sized symbiotic card that comes with Vertisan Gold, which provides secure authentication and authorization by NFC.

Authoritative Hive

The logical hive which has current authoritative control of transaction execution for a curve

Base32

 

Base128

 

Base256

 

Beacon Cluster

The cluster that serves as the keystone/lighthouse

BiHex

Base32 numbering system used by Vertisan and Fractal. NOTE: The Latin character set used by BiHex is case-insensitive to ensure compatibility between unknown systems. {0123456789ABCDEFGHJKMNPQRSTVWXYZ}

Biometrics

The automated recognition of individuals by means of unique physical characteristics for the purpose of identity verification and authorization. Fingerprint recognition is an example of biometrics supported by Fractal

Blacklist

A blocked list of entities which are forbidden from an ecosystem

Burned

 

Business Intelligence

Fractal support for Business Intelligence features

Byzantine Fault Tolerance

The ability of a system to continue operating even if some of the nodes fail or act maliciously

Carbon Card

The base Vertisan Card used for purchasing goods or services, powered by Vertisan DeFi financial instruments

CAS

Centralized Authentication (and authorization) Service

Century Tech

The Vertisan DeFi ecosystem, and fractal technology are architected against technological obsolescence, such as quantum computing, cryptography, and artificial intelligence advancements perceivable in the next hundred years.

Cipher

A secret or disguised way of writing content in order to obfuscate the original meaning

Circulating Supply

The number of tokens or coins that are publicly available and circulating in the market

Clone

The replication process of Particles that creates a new particle that is genetically identical to the original

Cluster

 

Collective

A fault tolerant custody chain of worker hives

Coloring

The process of exchanging digital assets of a particular denomination for one or multiple assets of other denominations, with the same overall total value.

Computational Graph

See neural network architecture

Computational Unit

See Hive Computational Unit

Connecting (Particle)

Particle construction step 6: The attachment of the completed particle to the 7-dimensional data lattice for online transaction processing

Consensus

A general agreement

Consistency (distributed systems)

See this article for information about consistence models in distributed systems

Consortium

A group of entities working together towards a common goal

Cryptocase

An intelligent storage container for digital assets

Cryptocase Partition

A logical partition within a Cryptocase to hold various types of digital assets.

Cryptocurrency

A digital currency in which transactions are verified and records maintained by a decentralized system using cryptography, rather than by a centralized authority

Curator

 

Curve (Fractal)

A multi-dimensional latticed collection of Fractal Segments

Daemon

A background process that handles requests for services such as print spooling and file transfers, and is dormant when not required

DApps

Decentralized Applications

Dark Energy (Fractal)

Vertisan DeFi native cryptocurrency within Fractal that is the official tender for all transaction fees. Dark Energy implements the IFeeTender programming interface and follows the VFN-FT22 standard.

Dark Matter (Fractal)

Vertisan DeFi native fungible token digital asset within Fractal that is used specifically for conversion of Dark Energy into a tangible asset for trading and liquidity purposes. One Dark Matter Unit is Timestamp Tethered 1:1 with the US Dollar circa January 1, 2024. Dark Matter and Dark Energy follow the Law of Conservation of Energy... E=mc^2^

DAS

Decentralized Authentication (and authorization) Service

DASLE Entity

A Decentralized Autonomous Sovereign Logical Entity. See https://dasle.org

Data Object

 

Datastore

A datastore is a repository for storing and managing data sets.

DDHT

Decentralized Distributed Hash Table

DDRHT

Decentralized Distributed Replicated Hash Table. Effectively, "Blockchain done right".

DDQP

Decentralized Distributed Query Processing

Decentralized

Controlled by several local authorities rather than one single, central authority

Decorating (Particle)

Particle construction step 5: The process of applying indexing information to a fused Particle

Decorators

Region of a Particle that contains indexing information

DeFi

Decentralized Finance

Dependency Injection

 

Detached Assets

 

deu

Dark Energy Unit

Digest

A compilation or summary of information. Also the output result of a hashing operation.

Digital Asset

A digital asset is anything that exists only in digital form and comes with a distinct usage right, or distinct permission for use, establishes ownership, and is discoverable.

Dimension (Fractal)

A relative, point-of-perception, collection of Segments and Particles within a Curve

Disbanded

 

dmu

Dark Matter Unit

Document Database

 

Dodecahedron

Any polyhedron with 12 flat surfaces

DWORD

A 10-bit BiHex (Base32) value consisting of two WORDs

Edge Computing

 

Escrow Partition

 

Eventual Consistency

 

Execution Scripts

Persisted FraQL scripts for future and/or repeated processing

Extensible

A system that can be modified by changing or adding features.

FCR

Fractal Credit Rating

FCR Score

 

Federated Fractal

Multiple Fractals working collectively for hyper-scale data

FFVRP

Feed-Forward Vector Routing Protocol

Fiat Money

Fiat Money is a type of money that is not backed by any commodity such as gold or silver, and typically declared by a decree from the government to be legal tender.

Fingerprint Card

Part of the Vertisan DeFi payment technologies. A CR80 card with a built-in fingerprint scanner providing the highest tier biometric security.

FNS

Fractal Name Services. The proprietary wide area network routing technology used by Fractal, which exists outside of conventional DNS and other Internet standards.

Forming Engine

 

Fractal (mathematics)

A fractal is an infinitely self-similar, iterated construct

Fractal (Vertisan)

The underlying distributed data processing and public ledger technology that executes and records transactions

Fractal Studio

The desktop and mobile application for management of Fractal network instances and data

Fractalant

A user of a Fractal

Framing (Particle)

Particle construction step 2: The construction of a Particle's dodecahedron armor

FraQL

Fractal Query Language, which has a similar syntax to SQL

FSA

Fractal Secured Asset. Any type of digital asset supported by Fractal, such as both NFTs and fungible tokens.

Fuckery

You all know what it is... and it never seems to stop, does it? Let's all collectively try to make the World a better place.

Fungible Token

Fungible Tokens are a type of cryptographic tokens that are identical and similar in nature and functionality. Two different fungible tokens serve the same purpose even when they are divided or exchanged with other fungible tokens of the same type. Fiat currencies or cryptocurrencies are the biggest instances of fungible tokens.

Fusion (Particle)

Particle construction step 4: The permanent etching of a Particle's 7-dimensional lattice structure

Gateway Bridge

 

General Relativity

 

gMass

Gravitational Mass

Graph Database

 

Graph Theory

 

Greeks (Options Greeks)

Greeks refer to a set of calculations you can use to measure different factors that might affect the price of an options contract. With that information, you can make more informed decisions about which options to trade, and when to trade them.

Guk

Globally Unique Key

Hard-Money

Currency that is backed by a tangible commodity such as gold, silver, platinum, or another immutable value store. Hard money has an intrinsic value and a stable exchange rate with other currencies. Hard Money is NOT fiat money.

Hardware Wallet

 

Hashrate

The rate at which cryptographic hashing is being executed (xxH/s)

Hashtag

A simple indexing methodology whereby a pound sign (#) is used as a prefix for a string of characters desired to be an index term

Headless

A Hive Worker that does not have a display or screen

Hex (hexadecimal)

Base16 numbering system

Hive Computational Unit

A consortium of Neurons that work collectively to implement the VeNNeM protocol and process transactions

Hive Worker

A Neuron which is a member of a Hive Computational Unit

Hybrid Signing Key Curation

The user-selectable preference of where cryptographic keys are stored for the authorization of transactions in Fractal

Hyper-Scale

A system that spans and exists globally, and possibly beyond. Fractal architecture is designed to be the basis for global scale payment processing and digital asset transactions. Unlimited fractals can coexist, and transactions across fractals are universal. Fractal can perform 100T transactions simultaneously.

IBISS

 

ICO

Initial Coin Offering

Immutable

See Immutable Data

Immutable Data

Data that cannot be changed

Inaccon

A dioptic substrate that serves as the gatekeeper and bond between Particles

Inadon

Inadon is the officially recognized NFT marketplace for all token types that are part of the Vertisan DeFi ecosystem.

INADON

INADON is the network symbol for the Inadon NFT Marketplace tokenized equity digital asset classification

Interfractal

Happening between Fractals

ITO

Initial Token Offering

JSON

JavaScript Object Notation. An open standard file format and data interchange format

Lattice

An interlaced, 7-dimensional data structure within a Fractal

Ledger

Digital record of monetary transactions of persons or businesses, that are posted in the form of debits and credits. Example: Bitcoin

Ledger Nano

USB hardware wallet

Liberty Dollar

Decentralized, global hard-money architecture. Backed 1-to-1 in a fractal treasury, each Liberty dollar is a unique digital asset. A Bank-less, inflation proof, peer to peer hard money payment system that is truly the worlds first “digital dollar”.

Mainnet

 

Market Cap

 

Matrix (mathematics)

A matrix is a rectangular array or table of numbers, symbols, or expressions, arranged in rows and columns, which is used to represent a mathematical object or a property of such an object.

Mediator

A portable Neuron role that enforces Byzantine Fault Tolerance within Hives

Merkle Tree

In cryptography and computer science, a hash tree or Merkle tree is a tree in which every "leaf" (node) is labeled with the cryptographic hash of a data block, and every node that is not a leaf (called a branch, inner node, or inode) is labeled with the cryptographic hash of the labels of its child nodes

Minted (assets)

The creation of digital assets, in which properties of the data object are established and permanently recorded to a Fractal.

Money

The assets, property, and/or resources owned by someone or something that serves as a mutually agreed-upon holder of value. A medium to hold and transfer value.

N (in reverse)

Designator for an unknown number or quantity in Fractal

Neural Compute Index

A multi-part value used to quantify the effectiveness of neurons, so they can be most efficiently grouped into Neural Compute Units (hives)

Neural Compute Rate

The rate at which hashing, scaffolding, and fusing are being executed. The value is evaluated per Neuron, per Second (xxNC/s)

Neural Compute Unit

A Hive

Neural Network

A Neural Network is a computer system modeled after the human brain and nervous system, comprised of Neurons

Neuron

An individual compute entity within Fractal (computation unit)

Neuron Fingerprint

The cryptographically secure digital signing provided by a Neuron to validate authenticity

NFT

Non-Fungible Token, as used in the financial sector

nmu

Nebula Mass Unit

Node

Not applicable to Fractal-based architecture. A point at which lines or pathways intersect or branch; a central connecting point. A redistribution point.

Non-Fungible Token

A non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique digital identifier that is recorded in a cryptographically secured transaction, and is used to certify ownership and authenticity. Typically associated with finite digital assets, such as music, pictures and art.

NUID

Network Unique Identifier. It's similar to the concept of a universal username which exists across all networks

Observer (neuron)

 

Octacube Cipher

The resulting 512-byte, Base256 hash from Vertisan’s proprietary 4096-bit Vecton encryption algorithm. An Octacube Cipher uses a combination of light, color and time to establish a cryptographically unique identifier. The API has the ability to present similar to a QR code to end users for backwards compatibility.

Options Contract

Similar to the stock market, Fractal Markets will provide Options Ring Contract architecture for the trading of tokenized equities and digital assets. However, to prevent malicious short selling, dilution, failure to deliver, and other forms of fraud common in the stock market, these assets will be held in escrow while under contract. The “liquidity pool” is established by willing sellers' digital assets held in escrow, similar to stock lending. Options buyers will have all the common Greeks, and pay a premium for the right to execute those options within the ring contract. Ring contract options are established by actual assets available.

P2P

Peer-to-peer

Paper Wallet

A Paper Wallet is a cold storage method for storing public and private keys for cryptocurrency transactions

Parallelism

 

Particle

See Vertisan Particle

Particle Dynamics

Laws of physics as implemented by Particles

Partitioning

Datastore partitioning (partitioning) refers to splitting data objects used by a system into separate pieces, or partitions, that allow one large object to be handled as multiple smaller objects. These partitions can then be stored, accessed, and managed separately.

peer-to-peer

Representing a transaction that has two parties and no intermediaries

Pegged

See Timestamp Pegged

Persona

 

Plug-in

An accessory software program that extends the capabilities of an existing application or system. Fractal supports plug-ins for the neural network, Vecton encryption, Cryptocase capabilities, consensus protocols, routing protocols, and edge workers.

Plug-in Architecture

Fractal will accept accessory software upgrades (plug-ins) to remain the state-of-the-art against all future instances of quantum computing, AI, and cryptography algorithms. (100 year architecture)

PoA

Proof of Authority consensus mechanism

POP

Private Over Public network classification used by Fractal

Populating (Particle)

Particle construction step 3: The processing and inclusion of the Particle's payload

Portable NFT (VFN-PNFT-22)

A Fractal-generated portable NFT digital asset that can be decoupled from a Fractal network and securely stored offline. The current standard that defines a Portable NFT is VFN-PNFT-22.

Postcedent

One that comes after

PoW

Proof of Work consensus mechanism used by Bitcoin's Blockchain

PPE

Particle Persistence Engine

Provenance

The ability to trace the history of an asset back to its inception

Proxy

 

Public Ledger

 

Pyramid Curse

The tamper-proof countermeasures baked into cards running the VCOS, which result in seizure of assets and the permanent blacklisting of the nefarious individual(s).

QP

Query Processor

QR Code

Or “quick response code” is a two-dimensional barcode printed as a square pattern of black and white squares that encodes data, which is typically a URL.

Quantum Consistency

The distributed systems consistency model pioneered by James Vertisan that provides near real-time consistency of Vertisan Particles at hyper scale.

Quantum Entanglement (Fractal)

 

Query Point

A read-only neuron in Fractal that fulfills FraQL queries

Query Procedure

A query in FraQL that is compiled and executed against the Fractal Neural Network

Query Receptor

Neural node connection point that is authorized for the execution of queries against the Fractal Neural Network. See also Query Point.

Quorum

The minimum number of members of an assembly or society that must be present at any of its meetings to make the proceedings of that meeting valid.

Range Sharding

See Sharding

Raspberry Pi

The Raspberry Pi is a low cost, credit-card sized computer that plugs into a computer monitor or TV, and uses a standard keyboard and mouse. The fanless, energy-efficient Raspberry Pi runs silently and uses far less power than other computers.

RBAC

See Role Based Access Control

RBCC

Role-Base Custodial Control

Region

 

Regional Redundancy

 

Rehash

 

Rekey

 

Relativity

See General Relativity

Reputation Score

 

Ring Contract

Fractal's contract standardization of peer-to-peer and multi-peer-to-peer transactions

Roka

The AI entity living within Nebula that monitors for abnormalities

Role Based Access Control

See RBAC

RTC

Real Time Clock

RTMP

Real Time Messaging Protocol

RTP

Real Time Protocol

SAL

Storage Access Layer

Sandbox

An isolated environment used for prototyping and proof-of-concept work

Scaffolding (Particle)

Particle construction step 1: The initial provisioning of a Particle's dodecahedron

Schema

 

SE

Storage Engine

Segment (Fractal)

 

Self-Organizing

 

Self-Similarity

 

Set Theory

The branch of mathematics which deals with the formal properties of sets as units

Sharding

 

Signing Key

The cryptographically secure public/private key pair that is used to digitally sign a transaction for processing by Fractal

Sovereign Entity Protocol

Similar to blockchain's popular DAO legal entity, having no central ownership or governing authority, Fractal is based on what will be known henceforth as a Sovereign Entity Protocol. Beholden to no one, with rules set in the ring contract by its creator, Fractal is a sovereign entity and impervious to governments, hostile takeover by voters (DAO) and other organized attack. In essence, Fractal simply is a distributed neural network that exists in the Internet.

SSO

Single Sign On

SUDSLE Entity

A Sovereign Universally Decentralized Semiautonomous Logical Entity. See https://sudsle.org

Synapse

Communication protocols between Neurons

Sync Operation

 

TCP

Transmission Control Protocol

Tensor Calculus

Tensor Calculus, or Ricci calculus, is an extension of vector calculus to tensor fields (tensors that may vary over a manifold in spacetime)

Testnet

 

Tethered

A mechanism that ensures the value or state of one item is permanently connected to the value or state of another item, as to typically form a 1:1 relationship.

Timestamp Pegged

Using a particular point in time as the baseline establishment of value. For example, the value of one dmu (Dark Matter Unit) was timestamp pegged to the value of 1 US Dollar as of January 1, 2024. The value of a dmu is unaffected by inflation, but the US Dollar experiences inflation, so a timestamp baseline was set for an equivalent value. The value of a dmu and the value of the US Dollars follow their own separate trajectories after that Timestamp Peg.

Total Supply

 

Transaction

An operation that changes the state of data within a Fractal

Transaction Identifier (UUID)

A 40-character BiHex universally unique identifier with guaranteed anti-collision properties, which also supports universal transactions across Fractals. An example is {vfnvsrqrg5ystrxphfdhg7b0aqxgvk0jqp06ytsp}

Transaction Rendering

The process of executing the VeNNeM protocol, building particles, and updating a Fractal with the successful results of a transaction request.

Traversal Agent

A worker agent that runs on edge computing devices, which is tasked with various read-only operations

Triadic Synthesis

 

Truncated Rhombus Dodecahedron

A regular polygon with 12 hexagonal surfaces and 6 square surfaces

Unobtanium

 

Uptime

The amount of time that has elapsed since a service or process has started

USDTF

The network symbol for the USDT by Fractal stable coin classification

UUID

A Universal Unique Identifier. The UUID construct was created by James Vertisan to provide an identifier that has a 0.000% chance of collision, while also providing the capability for universal transactions.

Validator

A Neuron in Fractal that has the role of validating transactions for authenticity, syntactical correctness, and resulting values

VCC

The network symbol for Vertisan Crypto Coin (defunct v0 construct)

VCDG

The network symbol for the Vertisan Gold digital asset classification

VCOS

The proprietary Vertisan Smart Card Operating System used on CR80 cards that are part of the Vertisan DeFi ecosystem

VDEU

The network symbol for the Vertisan Dark Energy Unit cryptocurrency classification

VDMU

The network symbol for the Vertisan Dark Matter Unit digital asset classification

Vecton

Vertisan's multi-layer encryption implementation

VeNNeM

Vertisan's consensus protocol used by Fractal

Vertex

The point at which the sides of an angle intersect

Vertisan Card

 

Vertisan Coin

See VCC

Vertisan Gold

See VCDG

Vertisan Particle

A data persistence entity that preserves and protects its payload in perpetuity. Particles are the fundamental building blocks of Fractal.

VFN-B34 Standard

Vertisan Fractal Base34 character set {0123456789abcdefghijkmnpqrstuvwxyz}

VFN-B58 Standard

Vertisan Fractal Base58 character set {0123456789abcdefghijkmnpqrstuvwxyzABCDEFGHJKLMNPQRSTUVWXYZ}

VFN

Vertisan Fractal Network

VFN-BRC22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Fractal Base Ring Contract

VFN-C22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Fractal-compliant Cryptocase

VFN-CP22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Cryptocase Plug-in

VFN-DA22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Fractal-based digital asset

VFN-FT22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Fractal-based fungible token

VFN-FTM22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Fractal-based fungible token specifically for digital money

VFN-NFDT22 Standard

Non fungible digital token

VFN-NFST22 Standard

Non Fungible Securities Token

VFN-NFT22 Standard

Standardized non fungible token;

VFN-NFTAT22 Standard

Non fungible tangible asset token

VFN-NP22 Standard

Fractal network plug-in

VFN-PNFT-22 Standard

The technical coding standard that defines the interface, contract, and properties of a Fractal-based Portable NFT

VFN-TA22 Standard

Traversal agent

VFN-TE22 Standard

Fractal-based Tokenized Equity

VFN-TVR22 Standard

Fractal-based voting rights associated with tokenized equity entities

VVE-P22 Standard

Vecton Encryption Plug-in

VGC

The network symbol for the Vertisan Game Coin tethered cryptocurrency classification

VNC

Vertisan Nebula Coin

VRTSN

The network symbol for the Vertisan DeFi tokenized equity digital asset classification

Wallet (cryptocurrency)

An application, device, physical medium, program, or service that stores the public and/or the private keys for cryptocurrency transactions. NOTE: Fractal uses and implements Cryptocases, not wallets.

Whitelist

A pre-approved list of entities

Whitepaper

A technical document intended to define and demonstrate a technology concept or implementation.

WORD

A 5-bit BiHex (Base32) value