Scalar (computing)

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See scalar for an account of the broader concept also used in physics and mathematics.

In computing, a scalar is a variable or field that can hold only one value at a time; as opposed to composite variables like array, list, record, etc.. In some contexts, a scalar value may be understood to be numeric. A scalar data type is the type of a scalar variable. For example, char, int, float, and double are the most common scalar data types in the C programming language.

The origin of the term "scalar" in computing dates back to the 1970's, where the intended meaning was "opposite of vector", so as to distinguish from the idea of vector processing in computer processor design.

See also

• Scalar processor

 

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