magic numbers
Unexplained hardcoded values
Magic numbers are specific values that appear in code or formulas without explanation, making their purpose unclear to anyone reading them.
Programmers consider them bad practice because they obscure meaning: Replace that magic number with a named constant.
The term extends to any seemingly arbitrary figures whose significance isn't obvious: The budget relies on magic numbers that nobody can justify.
- superheavy elementsAtoms with extreme proton counts
- nuclear physicsStudy of atomic nuclei
- atomic nucleiCentral atomic masses
- isotopesAtomic number twins
- radioactive decayUnstable atoms releasing energy
transuranic elements · nuclear reactions · island of stability · actinides · shell · quantum tunneling · mass spectrometer · calculation · sorcery · particle accelerators · illusion · sequence · rule of thumb · stable · lucky seven · three · pattern · mystical
- software developmentcoding, programming, bug, debug, debugging
- Number Symbolismnumerology, lucky seven, unlucky thirteen, trinity, seven deadly sins
- nuclear physicsnuclear energy, fission, nuclear fission, neutron, proton
- antipatternsspaghetti code, dead code, code smell, technical debt, cargo cult
- code problemstech debt, technical debt, code smell, spaghetti code, bugs
- nanoclustersiron-sulfur clusters, buckyballs
magic, magical, magician, numbers, magically, magicians, magic number, nonmagical, unmagical