Special numbers in Javascript

In JavaScript, there are several special numerical values that behave differently from typical numbers. These include:

 

1.   Infinity

2.   -Infinity

3.   NaN (Not-a-Number)

 

Infinity

Infinity represents a value that is greater than any finite number. It is the result of operations like dividing a positive number by 0.

 

infinity.js 

let positiveInfinity = 1 / 0;
console.log(positiveInfinity); // Output: Infinity

 

Output

Infinity

 

When you divide 1 by 0, the result is Infinity because the value tends towards infinity.

 

-Infinity

-Infinity represents a value that is less than any finite number. It is the result of operations like dividing a negative number by 0.

 

negativeInfinity.js

 

let negativeInfinity = -1 / 0;
console.log(negativeInfinity); // Output: -Infinity

Output

-Infinity

When you divide -1 by 0, the result is -Infinity because the value tends towards negative infinity.

 

NaN (Not-a-Number)

NaN represents a value that is not a legal number. It is the result of operations that do not result in a valid number, such as dividing 0 by 0, or attempting to perform arithmetic on a non-numeric value.

 

not-a-number.js

let notANumber = 0 / 0;
console.log(notANumber); // Output: NaN

let invalidOperation = "hello" * 3;
console.log(invalidOperation); // Output: NaN

Output

NaN
NaN

Dividing 0 by 0 results in NaN because the operation is undefined. Multiplying a string ("hello") by a number results in NaN because the operation is invalid.

 

Infinity is a special number that represents an infinitely large value. -Infinity is a special number that represents an infinitely small (negative) value. NaN is a special value that represents an invalid or undefined numerical result. You can experiment with these values in the Node.js shell to better understand how they behave in different scenarios.

 

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