scalar
1. <mathematics> A single number, as opposed to a vector or matrix of
numbers. Thus, for example, "scalar multiplication" refers to the operation of
multiplying one number (one scalar) by another and is used to contrast this with
"matrix multiplication" etc.
2. <architecture> In a parallel processor or vector processor, the
"scalar processor" handles all the sequential operations - those which cannot be
parallelised or vectorised.
See also superscalar.
3. <programming> Any data type that stores a single value (e.g. a number
or Boolean), as opposed to an aggregate data type that has many elements. A
string is regarded as a scalar in some languages (e.g. Perl) and a vector of
characters in others (e.g. C).
(2002-06-12)
Nearby terms:
Scalable Processor ARChitecture « Scalable Sampling
Rate « Scalable Vector Graphics « scalar »
SCALLOP » SCAN » scan
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