473,396 Members | 1,810 Online
Bytes | Software Development & Data Engineering Community
Post Job

Home Posts Topics Members FAQ

Join Bytes to post your question to a community of 473,396 software developers and data experts.

float/double

what is the difference between float and double. both dealt with decimal point but i dont know wat is the real difference between those two terms.
Oct 4 '09 #1
3 2215
Banfa
9,065 Expert Mod 8TB
float is normally called single precision and double is double precision.

On most common implementations a float is 32 bits (4 bytes) and a double is 64 bits (8 bytes). Because of this increase in memory usage a double can (normally) hold 15 significant digits where as a float holds 7. A Double can also hold a much much larger range of numbers than a float.

With today's computers with excess memory the normal rule of thumb is to use the double type unless you have a communicatable reason why you need to use floats.
Oct 5 '09 #2
donbock
2,426 Expert 2GB
Think of it being analogous to the difference between short and long.
Oct 5 '09 #3
thank you vey much. that info was helpful for me
Oct 5 '09 #4

Sign in to post your reply or Sign up for a free account.

Similar topics

8
by: Jonathan Fielder | last post by:
Hi, I have a 32 bit integer value and I wish to find the single precision floating point value that is closest to but less than or equal to the integer. I also have a similar case where I need...
9
by: Sisyphus | last post by:
Hi, I have some software that does the following (in an attempt to determine whether the double x, can be represented just as accurately by a float): void test_it(double x) { float y = x;...
13
by: maadhuu | last post by:
hello , i would like to know as to why double is more efficient than float . thanking you, ranjan.
6
by: James Thurley | last post by:
According to the docs, floats are 32 bit and doubles are 64 bit. So using floats should be faster than using doubles on a 32 bit processor, and my tests confirm this. However, most of the Math...
5
by: Kubik | last post by:
Hi! Let's see, we got: float var=4.6f; //as we know 414/4.6 shoud be equal to 90 but Math.Ceiling(414/var) gives us 91 but (414/var).ToString() prints '90'.
6
by: karthi | last post by:
hi, I need user defined function that converts string to float in c. since the library function atof and strtod occupies large space in my processor memory I can't use it in my code. regards,...
60
by: Erick-> | last post by:
hi all... I've readed some lines about the difference between float and double data types... but, in the real world, which is the best? when should we use float or double?? thanks Erick
116
by: Dilip | last post by:
Recently in our code, I ran into a situation where were stuffing a float inside a double. The precision was extended automatically because of that. To make a long story short, this caused...
13
by: Shirsoft | last post by:
I have a 32 bit intel and 64 bit AMD machine. There is a rounding error in the 8th digit. Unfortunately because of the algorithm we use, the errors percolate into higher digits. C++ code is...
3
by: Arnie | last post by:
Folks, We ran into a pretty significant performance penalty when casting floats. We've identified a code workaround that we wanted to pass along but also was wondering if others had experience...
0
by: ryjfgjl | last post by:
In our work, we often receive Excel tables with data in the same format. If we want to analyze these data, it can be difficult to analyze them because the data is spread across multiple Excel files...
0
by: emmanuelkatto | last post by:
Hi All, I am Emmanuel katto from Uganda. I want to ask what challenges you've faced while migrating a website to cloud. Please let me know. Thanks! Emmanuel
1
by: nemocccc | last post by:
hello, everyone, I want to develop a software for my android phone for daily needs, any suggestions?
0
by: Hystou | last post by:
There are some requirements for setting up RAID: 1. The motherboard and BIOS support RAID configuration. 2. The motherboard has 2 or more available SATA protocol SSD/HDD slots (including MSATA, M.2...
0
marktang
by: marktang | last post by:
ONU (Optical Network Unit) is one of the key components for providing high-speed Internet services. Its primary function is to act as an endpoint device located at the user's premises. However,...
0
by: Hystou | last post by:
Most computers default to English, but sometimes we require a different language, especially when relocating. Forgot to request a specific language before your computer shipped? No problem! You can...
0
jinu1996
by: jinu1996 | last post by:
In today's digital age, having a compelling online presence is paramount for businesses aiming to thrive in a competitive landscape. At the heart of this digital strategy lies an intricately woven...
0
by: Hystou | last post by:
Overview: Windows 11 and 10 have less user interface control over operating system update behaviour than previous versions of Windows. In Windows 11 and 10, there is no way to turn off the Windows...
0
tracyyun
by: tracyyun | last post by:
Dear forum friends, With the development of smart home technology, a variety of wireless communication protocols have appeared on the market, such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, etc. Each...

By using Bytes.com and it's services, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

To disable or enable advertisements and analytics tracking please visit the manage ads & tracking page.