PARALLEL PREFIX

parallel prefix (n.) An operation applying an associative binary operator o to an n-vector V to produce: <(V0)(V0OV1)(V0OV1OV2)...(V0OV1O...OVN)>. Variations of this operation, which is also sometimes called a scan, may leave the operations identity element in the first element of the vector, apply the operation downward from the last element of the vector, and so on. See also reduction, scan-vector model, segmented parallel prefix operation.