N/A or more specifically no answer means the elusive answer. This mysterious term can be found almost everywhere including in mathematics, business and other areas of study. It can also refer to when information in a table cell is totally useless because it doesn’t apply to the query in question. This example is seen quite often in astronomy and physics, where space, time and inertial reference frames are ignored and replaced with the metric system. The term is also used in computing science to mean “not applicable” or “unavailable”. In computer programming the term often shows up when a method cannot be applied on a piece of input.

So what does n/a mean and why is it a commonly used abbreviation? There are several reasons for this. In astronomy a n/a denotes a space-time coordinate system independent of real time, which includes time and relative coordinates such as latitude, longitude and altitude.

In computer applications N/A stands for “not applicable” which simply means: that the query you have typed in is not acceptable data. For example if you wanted to calculate the orbit of a solar system model, then using the words “n/a” would not be correct. The numerical expression you are typing into a calculator is evaluated at the point of use and “not applicable” is shown beneath it. This is what we call a “glitch” in computer speak where your query did not receive a positive answer as expected.

In business operations N/A is also used for those times: when a business is unable to receive any sort of answer back from a server or some sort of internal network resource because of hardware problems or other problems with the system software. This word can also be used in a marketing sense for one who is selling something online without the brand name being mentioned directly. For example you might say “this product is only available through this website”. This kind of language is often used by marketers who want their prospective clients to know the exact meaning of their product’s availability. In fact, this phrase originated as a marketing tool called “virtual sales opening” which had exactly the same meaning as the n/a statement above.

So what does n/a mean and why is it a commonly used abbreviation? Well the reason for its wide use is simple: the quality and precision of information presented have changed greatly over the years and now it is necessary to use all forms of N/A which include NOTS, NDAs, FSA, SOX and SOA. If you have a company that is still using one of the older forms of these then you might be missing out on some important communications that could help you improve the efficiency and effectiveness of your company in many ways. The quality of information you get to communicate to your customers may depend on how precise and formal your N/A is.

It also often depends on what exactly your customer is looking for: If they are simply looking for basic contact information like name, email address or contact numbers then a more general term like “not applicable” or “not a match” should be fine. However, if they want more information or they want to get in touch with a real person then “not applicable” or “matched” should be more appropriate. What does n/a mean?

It just makes it easier for you to know what to say when someone needs more information from you. So make sure you use it!