# Number

(Redirected from Infinity)

The number type is inhabited by real numeric values.[1] Specifically, it has 53 bits of precision,[2] meaning it can accurately represent integral values in the interval ${\displaystyle \left[-2^{53},2^{53}\right]}$, outside of which arithmetic operations will gradually lose precision. This is because the number type is implemented using double-precision floating-point numbers.

## Non-numeric values

### NaN

NaN, which stands for not a number, is a special value of the number type. In Lua, it is the only value that is not equal to itself.[3]

### inf

inf, which stands for infinity, is the largest number Lua can represent. It can be obtained by the use of math.huge or 1/0.

## References

1. Ierusalimschy, Roberto (March 2006). Programming in Lua. p. 29. ISBN 8590379825.
2. "IEEE Standard for Floating-Point Arithmetic". IEEE Std 754-2008: 1–70. August 2008. doi:10.1109/IEEESTD.2008.4610935.
3. "Inf And Nan Comparisons". lua-users. 2006-09-30. Retrieved 2018-08-05.