What is the difference between NaN and null in programming?

What is the difference between NaN and null in programming?

NaN stands for 'Not a Number' and is used to represent a value that is undefined or unrepresentable, especially in floating-point calculations. Null, on the other hand, is an assignment value that represents the absence of any value or object.

Can you give me examples of when to use NaN and when to use null?

Sure! Use NaN when performing mathematical operations that result in an undefined number, like dividing zero by zero. Use null when you want to explicitly indicate that a variable has no value, like when initializing an object that hasn't been set yet.

Are NaN and null treated the same in programming languages?

No, they are treated differently. NaN is a numeric type, while null is often considered an object type. This can lead to different behaviors in comparisons and operations.

How do different programming languages handle NaN and null?

Different languages have their own ways of handling NaN and null. For example, JavaScript has both NaN and null, while Python uses None for null values and has a special float('nan') for NaN.