scalar.

1. A real number treated as a single value, in contrast to a vector of components.

2. A quantity specified by magnitude alone, without a direction, such as mass or elapsed time.

3. Representable by a single value on a scale, or relating to a scalar quantity or operation.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• multiply by a scalar
• a positive scalar
• scalar multiplication

On the page

Multiplying the vector by a positive scalar changed its length but not its direction.

The routine accepts a scalar where the previous version required a vector.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal / analytical. Lexical Type: Word. Forms: Noun singular scalar; plural scalars. Relational adjective scalar is normally non-gradable. Commonness: moderately common (editorial estimate; not a corpus frequency statistic). Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1; numbered fields keep each relevant meaning separate. Research distinction: Full MW entry directly read: real number rather than vector; physical magnitude with no direction; adjective representable by scale point or relating to scalar operations; additionally a graduated-step/authority-chain adjective. Three noun/adjective slots retained, with overflow and more general algebraic scope flagged. Individually useful in research, criticism, methodology or conceptual analysis. Definitions and examples are original; no mood or intensity assigned to neutral analytical concepts. Commonness is an editorial estimate, not a frequency statistic. Writing functions: one value versus multiple components, physical magnitude without direction.