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Tensor, matrix, block and scalar

Tensor, Matrix, Block and Scalar

This page continues the address space from where Model, Architecture, Layer and Module leaves off - the fine-grained half of the same eight-step drill ladder:

… → Module → Tensor → Tile/Block → Row/Col/Channel → Scalar

Tensor

A named weight or activation tensor within a module - the level at which shape, dtype, and stride become meaningful (see Shape, Rank, Stride and Layout), and the level a weight diff is usually framed at.

Tile / block

A bounded rectangular region within a tensor - the unit Tensormorph actually streams, computes statistics for, and renders at. A tile isn't a fixed size; it's sized appropriately for the current level of detail, so "one tile" means something coarser when you're viewing a whole layer and something finer once you've zoomed into a specific region. See Level of Detail and Streaming for how tile granularity adapts to zoom.

Row / column / channel

Below a tile, a single row, column, or channel - a one-dimensional slice through a tensor. This is the level the Signal and Distribution Editor's 1D views (Raw Value Plot, Layer Profile, Expert Profile) operate on, distinct from the 2D tile-level views.

Scalar

A single number: one element of one tensor. The Scalar Inspector is the dedicated view for this level, and it's also the finest-grained target for a probe or a runtime breakpoint (see Runtime Traces).

Every level shares one addressing scheme

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A scalar's address is a strict refinement of its tensor's address, which is a strict refinement of its module's address, all the way up to the model. There's no separate coordinate system per level - zooming from the whole model to one scalar is narrowing the same address, not switching between unrelated schemes.

This is what makes a TQL expression like model["layer.12"].tensor("*.q_proj.weight")[3, 7] a single coherent path rather than a a join across separate systems, and it's why selection stays valid as you switch between the 3D, 2D, and 1D views at different points along the ladder - the address doesn't change, only which view is rendering it.

Related resources

Model, architecture, layer and moduleShape, rank, stride and layout