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There are seven primitive data types which are supported by Java language programming in addition to int. A primitive data type is a data type which is predefined in Java. Following are the eight primitive data types:
int
It is a 32-bit signed two's complement integer data type. It ranges from -2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647. This data type is used for integer values. However for wider range of values use long.
byte
The byte data type is an 8-bit signed two's complement integer. It ranges from -128 to127 (inclusive). We can save memory in large arrays using byte. We can also use byte instead of int to increase the limit of the code.
short
The short data type is a 16-bit signed two's complement integer. It ranges from -32,768 to 32,767. short is used to save memory in large arrays.
long
The long data type is a 64-bit signed two's complement integer. It ranges from -9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807. Use this data type with larger range of values.
float
The float data type is a single-precision 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point. It ranges from 1.40129846432481707e-45 to 3.40282346638528860e+38 (positive or negative). Use a float (instead of double) to save memory in large arrays. We do not use this data type for the exact values such as currency. For that we have to use java.math.BigDecimal class.
double
This data type is a double-precision 64-bit IEEE 754 floating point. It ranges from 4.94065645841246544e-324d to 1.79769313486231570e+308d (positive or negative). This data type is generally the default choice for decimal values.
boolean
The boolean data type is 1-bit and has only two values: true and false. We use this data type for conditional statements. true and false are not the same as True and False. They are defined constants of the language.
char
The char data type is a single 16-bit, unsigned Unicode character. It ranges from 0 to 65,535. They are not same as ints, shorts etc.
| Keyword |
Description |
Size/Format |
| byte |
Byte-length integer |
8-bit two's complement |
| short |
Short integer |
16-bit two's complement |
| int |
Integer |
32-bit two's complement |
| long |
Long integer |
64-bit two's complement |
| float |
Single-precision floating point |
32-bit IEEE |
| double |
Double-precision floating point |
64-bit IEEE |
| char |
A single character |
16-bit Unicode character |
| boolean |
A boolean value (true or false) |
true or false |
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