NaN

For other uses, see Nan (disambiguation).

In computing, NaN (/næn/), standing for Not a Number, is a particular value of a numeric data type (often a floating-point number) which is undefined as a number, such as the result of 0/0. Systematic use of NaNs was introduced by the IEEE 754 floating-point standard in 1985, along with the representation of other non-finite quantities such as infinities.

In mathematics, the result of 0/0 is typically not defined as a number[a] and may therefore be represented by NaN in computing systems.

The square root of a negative number is not a real number, and is therefore also represented by NaN in compliant computing systems. NaNs may also be used to represent missing values in computations.[1][2]

Two separate kinds of NaNs are provided, termed quiet NaNs and signaling NaNs. Quiet NaNs are used to propagate errors resulting from invalid operations or values. Signaling NaNs can support advanced features such as mixing numerical and symbolic computation or other extensions to basic floating-point arithmetic.


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  1. ^ Bowman, Kenneth (2006). An Introduction to Programming with IDL: Interactive Data Language. Academic Press. p. 26. ISBN 978-0-12-088559-6.
  2. ^ Press, William H.; Teukolsky, Saul A.; Vetterling, William T.; Flannery, Brian P. (2007). Numerical Recipes: The Art of Scientific Computing. Cambridge University Press. p. 34. ISBN 978-0-521-88068-8.