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formals

Formals is a term with more than one meaning, depending on the context. In fashion and everyday usage, formals refers to formal attire worn for special occasions. In this sense, formals include clothing such as tuxedos or evening suits for men and gowns or other formal dresses for women, often accompanied by dress shoes, ties or bowties, cufflinks, jewelry, and other accessories. The category covers range from traditional black-tie ensembles to more elaborate white-tie outfits, and regional usage can affect whether the term also encompasses garments worn to specific events like weddings, galas, or school dances. In North America, the plural form formals is commonly used to describe attire for events such as proms, where attendees wear formal dress.

In computer science and mathematics, formals are the variables that appear in the definition or declaration

Summary: formals can denote formal clothing for events or the formal parameters in a function's definition,

of
a
function,
representing
the
parameters
that
the
function
expects
to
receive.
They
are
contrasted
with
actuals
(also
called
arguments),
which
are
the
values
supplied
by
a
caller
at
the
time
of
invocation.
For
example,
in
a
function
defined
as
sum(a,
b),
a
and
b
are
formals;
when
the
function
is
called
as
sum(3,
4),
3
and
4
are
the
actual
arguments.
Formals
specify
the
number
and
type
of
inputs
a
function
can
accept,
and
they
establish
the
interface
through
which
the
function
interacts
with
the
rest
of
a
program.
with
meanings
that
depend
on
whether
the
discussion
is
fashion
or
computer
science.