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byte: The
bytedata type is an 8-bit signed two‘s complement integer. It has a minimum value of -128 and a maximum value of 127 (inclusive). Thebytedata type can be useful for saving memory in large arrays, where the memory savings actually matters. They can also be used in place ofintwhere their limits help to clarify your code; the fact that a variable‘s range is limited can serve as a form of documentation. -
short: The
shortdata type is a 16-bit signed two‘s complement integer. It has a minimum value of -32,768 and a maximum value of 32,767 (inclusive). As withbyte, the same guidelines apply: you can use ashortto save memory in large arrays, in situations where the memory savings actually matters. -
int: By default, the
intdata type is a 32-bit signed two‘s complement integer, which has a minimum value of -231 and a maximum value of 231-1. In Java SE 8 and later, you can use theintdata type to represent an unsigned 32-bit integer, which has a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 232-1. Use the Integer class to useintdata type as an unsigned integer. See the section The Number Classes for more information. Static methods likecompareUnsigned,divideUnsignedetc have been added to theIntegerclass to support the arithmetic operations for unsigned integers. -
long: The
longdata type is a 64-bit two‘s complement integer. The signed long has a minimum value of -263 and a maximum value of 263-1. In Java SE 8 and later, you can use thelongdata type to represent an unsigned 64-bit long, which has a minimum value of 0 and a maximum value of 264-1. Use this data type when you need a range of values wider than those provided byint. TheLongclass also contains methods likecompareUnsigned,divideUnsignedetc to support arithmetic operations for unsigned long. -
float: The
floatdata type is a single-precision 32-bit IEEE 754 floating point. Its range of values is beyond the scope of this discussion, but is specified in the Floating-Point Types, Formats, and Values section of the Java Language Specification. As with the recommendations forbyteandshort, use afloat(instead ofdouble) if you need to save memory in large arrays of floating point numbers. This data type should never be used for precise values, such as currency. For that, you will need to use the java.math.BigDecimal class instead. Numbers and Strings coversBigDecimaland other useful classes provided by the Java platform. -
double: The
doubledata type is a double-precision 64-bit IEEE 754 floating point. Its range of values is beyond the scope of this discussion, but is specified in the Floating-Point Types, Formats, and Valuessection of the Java Language Specification. For decimal values, this data type is generally the default choice. As mentioned above, this data type should never be used for precise values, such as currency. -
boolean: The
booleandata type has only two possible values:trueandfalse. Use this data type for simple flags that track true/false conditions. This data type represents one bit of information, but its "size" isn‘t something that‘s precisely defined. -
char: The
chardata type is a single 16-bit Unicode character. It has a minimum value of‘\u0000‘(or 0) and a maximum value of‘\uffff‘(or 65,535 inclusive).