Numeric values
A numeric value consists of digits with
an optional sign and decimal point. A numeric value is not enclosed
in quotes. For example:
10 0.34 –78 +2.56 –.92
are all valid in awk. awk does not let you
put commas inside numbers. For example, you must write 1000 instead
of 1,000.
Note: awk lets you use exponential or
scientific notation. Exponents are given as e or E,
followed by an optionally signed exponent. Thus:
are all equivalent.1E3 1.0e3 10E2 1000
When awk compares numbers (with such operators as > or <), it makes comparisons in accordance with the usual rules of arithmetic.