scalar

[skey-ler] /ˈskeɪ lər/

adjective

representable by position on a scale or line; having only magnitude:

a scalar variable.

of, pertaining to, or utilizing a scalar.

ladderlike in arrangement or organization; graduated:

a scalar structure for promoting personnel.

noun

Mathematics, Physics. a quantity possessing only magnitude.

Compare vector (def 1a).

Origin

1650-60; < Latin scālāris of a ladder. See scale³, -ar¹

Examples from the web for scalar

Dialing down the scalar field to zero everywhere would essentially flatten the universe.
On the other hand, tensor is the generalization of scalar and vector.
Even thermodynamics is a vector of a scalar activity.
Similar to temperature, which is the scalar level of activity, time is the sequencing of change wrought by motion.
Let and be vectors with components and let t be a scalar.

British Dictionary definitions for scalar

scalar

/ˈskeɪlə/

noun

a quantity, such as time or temperature, that has magnitude but not direction Compare vector (sense 1), tensor (sense 2), pseudoscalar, pseudovector

(maths) an element of a field associated with a vector space

adjective

having magnitude but not direction

Word Origin

C17 (meaning: resembling a ladder): from Latin scālāris, from scāla ladder

Word Origin and History for scalar

adj.

"resembling a ladder," 1650s, from Latin scalaris "of or pertaining to a ladder," from scalae (plural) "ladder, steps, flight of steps" (see scale (n.2)). Mathematical sense first recorded 1846.

scalar in Science

scalar

(skā'lər)
A quantity, such as mass, length, or speed, whose only property is magnitude; a number. Compare vector.

scalar in Technology

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)