The Primary Purpose Of The DATA Statement Is To Give Names To Consta

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The primary purpose of the DATA statement is to give names to constants;
instead of referring to pi as 3.141592653589793 at every appearance, the
variable PI can be given that value with a DATA statement and used
instead of the longer form of the constant. This also simplifies
modifying the program, should the value of pi change.
-- FORTRAN manual for Xerox Computers

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