Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
NaN

NaN

8.9
A symbol used in computer programs to show a result is not a number
  • symbol
  • Specialized
translation icon : NaN
  • In programming, dividing zero by zero results in NAN, indicating an undefined value.

Examples

  • When you enter an invalid input into the calculator, it displays NAN for 'not a number'.

  • The data analysis software returned NAN when it encountered missing values in the dataset.

  • So there's kind of these classes, you know, NAN AM AM A here NA means N the Merlin speaks.

  • I can't control them in the MPA, on MPP here with NAN either, nor in or in Princeton.

Synonyms

nan
vsNaN
  • Specialized
9.4

A computer value that shows a math operation did not give a number

is a broader symbolic term used across computing and mathematics

Compounds

Nan Ling
7.2

A mountain range in southeast China that separates northern and southern regions

Nan Mountains
6.8

A mountain range in the southeast of China that runs east to west

Nan River
5.9

A river in western Thailand that flows south to join the Ping River and form the Chao Phraya River

Surface Forms

NaN main

Etymology

NaN comes from the short phrase Not a Number, and it literally tells a computer 'not a number' when a calculation has no valid result. That's why spreadsheets and programs show NaN instead of a real number when they cannot make a normal numeric answer.