What is the meaning of "exclusive" and "inclusive" when describing number ranges?
Simple question but, I see exclusive and inclusive when referring to number ranges.
For example, this is a line from an algorithms book:
The following function prints the powers of 2 from 1 through n (inclusive).
What is meant by this? What makes a number range inclusive or exclusive?
Answer
In Computer Science, inclusive/exclusive doesn't apply to algorithms, but to a number range (more specifically, to the endpoint of the range):
1 through 10 (inclusive)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 through 10 (exclusive)
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
In mathematics, the 2 ranges above would be:
[1, 10]
[1, 10)
You can remember it easily:
- Inclusive - Including the last number
- Exclusive - Excluding the last number