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Scalar processor
 
 
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Scalar processors represent the simplest class of computer processors. A scalar processor processes one data item at a time (typical data items being integer
Integer (computer science)

In computer science, the term integer is used to refer to a data type which represents some finite subset of the mathematical integers. These are also known as integral data types....
s or floating point numbers). In a vector processor
Vector processor

A vector processor, or array processor, is a Central processing unit design where the instruction set includes operations that can perform mathematical operations on multiple data elements simultaneously....
, by contrast, a single instruction operates simultaneously on multiple data items. The difference is analogous to the difference between scalar
Scalar (mathematics)

In linear algebra, real numbers are called scalars and relate to vectors in a vector space through the operation of scalar multiplication, in which a vector can be multiplied by a number to produce another vector....
 and vector arithmetic.








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Scalar processors represent the simplest class of computer processors. A scalar processor processes one data item at a time (typical data items being integer
Integer (computer science)

In computer science, the term integer is used to refer to a data type which represents some finite subset of the mathematical integers. These are also known as integral data types....
s or floating point numbers). In a vector processor
Vector processor

A vector processor, or array processor, is a Central processing unit design where the instruction set includes operations that can perform mathematical operations on multiple data elements simultaneously....
, by contrast, a single instruction operates simultaneously on multiple data items. The difference is analogous to the difference between scalar
Scalar (mathematics)

In linear algebra, real numbers are called scalars and relate to vectors in a vector space through the operation of scalar multiplication, in which a vector can be multiplied by a number to produce another vector....
 and vector arithmetic.

See also

  • Instruction pipeline
    Instruction pipeline

    File:5 Stage Pipeline.svgAn instruction pipeline is a technique used in the design of computers and other digital electronic devices to increase their instruction throughput ....
  • Parallel computing
    Parallel computing

    Parallel computing is a form of computing in which many calculations are carried out simultaneously, operating on the principle that large problems can often be divided into smaller ones, which are then solved Concurrency ....
  • Superscalar
    Superscalar

    A superscalar Central processing unit architecture implements a form of parallel computer called instruction level parallelism within a single processor....