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scalar

 - 4 dictionary results

sca⋅lar

  [skey-ler]
Use scalar in a Sentence
–adjective
1. representable by position on a scale or line; having only magnitude: a scalar variable.
2. of, pertaining to, or utilizing a scalar.
3. ladderlike in arrangement or organization; graduated: a scalar structure for promoting personnel.
–noun
4. Mathematics, Physics. a quantity possessing only magnitude. Compare vector (def. 1a).
Origin:
1650–60; < L scālāris of a ladder. See scale 3 , -ar 1
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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sca·lar   (skā'lər, -lär')   
n.  

    1. A quantity, such as mass, length, or speed, that is completely specified by its magnitude and has no direction.

    2. Mathematics A number, numerical quantity, or element in a field.

  2. A device that yields an output equal to the input multiplied by a constant, as in a linear amplifier.

adj.  Of or relating to a scalar.

[Latin scālāris, of a ladder, from scālae, ladder; see scale2.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

scalar 
"resembling a ladder," 1656, from L. scalaris "of or pertaining to a ladder," from scalæ (pl.) "ladder, steps" (see scale (n.2)). Mathematical sense first recorded 1846.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Computing Dictionary

scalar
1. 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. 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. 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)

The Free On-line Dictionary of Computing, © 1993-2007 Denis Howe
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