{{dablink|See [[scalar]] for an account of the broader concept also used in physics and mathematics.}}
In computing, a '''scalar''' is a [[variable]] or [[field (computer science)|field]] that can hold only one value at a time; as opposed to composite variables like [[array]], [[List (computing)|list]], [[object composition|record]], etc. In some contexts, a scalar value may be understood to be numeric. A '''scalar data type''' is the type of a scalar variable. For example, <code>char</code>, <code>int</code>, <code>float</code>, and <code>double</code> are the most common scalar data types in the [[C programming language]].
The origin of the term "scalar" in computing dates back to the 1970's, where the intended meaning was "opposite of [[Dynamic array|vector]]", so as to distinguish from the idea of [[vector processing]] in computer processor design.
