scalar
noun
- one-dimensional physical quantity
- real number in context of mathematical multi-dimensional spaces
- real number in a computing context
adjective
No English definition recorded for this entry.
L340147 on Wikidata ↗Wiktionary
Pronunciation: /ˈskeɪ.lə/ / /skeɪ.lɚ/ / /ˈskæɪ.lə/
adj
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin scālāris, adjectival form from scāla (“a flight of steps, stairs, staircase, ladder, scale”), for *scadla, from scandere (“to climb”); compare scale. The mathematics sense was coined by Irish mathematician and astronomer William Rowan Hamilton in 1846.
- Having magnitude but not direction.
- Consisting of a single value (e.g. integer or string) rather than multiple values (e.g. array).
- Of, or relating to scale.
“However, it can be expected that 'scale-similarity' models of this form will be inadequate for describing non-equilibrium scalar fields resulting, for example, from non-equilibrium inlet flow conditions.”
“Scalar thickening is useful for understanding the propensity of scales to coalesce in certain times and places, or even how a particular scale provides conditions for other forms of scalar production.”
- Of or pertaining to a musical scale.
- Relating to particles with a spin (quantum angular momentum) of 0 (known as spin 0).
- Pertaining to the dimension on which something is measured.
“Spector (2006, 2007) suggests to derive this inference as a scalar implicature.”
“Also, the scalar meaning in both sentences is not sensitive to context, because the truth value of the sentences does not change depending on context.”
noun
Etymology: Borrowed from Latin scālāris, adjectival form from scāla (“a flight of steps, stairs, staircase, ladder, scale”), for *scadla, from scandere (“to climb”); compare scale. The mathematics sense was coined by Irish mathematician and astronomer William Rowan Hamilton in 1846.
- A quantity that has magnitude but not direction; compare vector.
- An amplifier whose output is a constant multiple of its input.