What is nominally?

Nominally, in the context of data and programming, refers to something being true in name only, or having a specific characteristic or value according to its definition or label, but not necessarily in reality or practice. It implies a distinction between the declared state and the actual state.

Here are some key aspects:

• Nominal Typing (https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Nominal%20Typing): This is a type system where type compatibility is based on explicit declarations rather than the structure of the type. Two types are considered compatible only if they have the same name or if one is explicitly declared as a subtype of the other. This contrasts with structural typing.

• Nominal Values (https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Nominal%20Values): This refers to a variable or parameter that is supposed to hold a certain value or satisfy certain constraints, but might not always do so in practice. For example, a variable declared as "positive integer" (nominally positive) may accidentally be assigned a negative value due to a bug.

• "Nominal" as a Qualifier: The word "nominal" often qualifies other terms to indicate a desired or declared state. For instance:

  • Nominal Voltage (https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Nominal%20Voltage): The designed operating voltage of a circuit or component, which might fluctuate in reality.
  • Nominal Size (https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Nominal%20Size): The described or labelled size, which may differ slightly from the actual measured size due to manufacturing tolerances.
  • Nominal Capacity (https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/Nominal%20Capacity): The advertised or stated capacity, which can be different from the effective or usable capacity, especially in the context of storage devices (e.g., hard drives) or batteries.

• Deviation from Nominal: A key concern is often how much a real-world value deviates from its nominal (https://www.wikiwhat.page/kavramlar/nominal) value. Analyzing and mitigating these deviations are crucial in many engineering and software development contexts.