infinity

n.

1. The largest value that can be represented in a particular type of variable (register, memory location, data type, whatever).

2. minus infinity: The smallest such value, not necessarily or even usually the simple negation of plus infinity. In N-bit twos-complement arithmetic, infinity is \(2^{N-1}\) but minus infinity is \(- (2^{N-1}\), not \(-(2^{N-1}\). Note also that this is different from time T equals minus infinity, which is closer to a mathematician’s usage of infinity.