Lesson 19
Java’s Primitive Data
Types.
PRESENTED BY
Keith Vassallo icemalta.com
A Primitive?
- In programming, a primitive is something that cannot be broken down
into smaller parts.
- Primitives can be combined together to form complex data types and
objects.
- If a skyscraper is a complex type, then the nuts, bolts, rivets, glass, steel,
concrete and rebar are primitives used to build it.
- Java has eight primitive data types:
• Whole numbers: byte, short, int, long
• Real numbers: float, double
• Characters: char
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• Logical: boolean (true or false)
Complex Types
- Objects are complex types.
- If you think of a Dog, it has an age (int), a gender (char), a weight (float)
and so on. Hence, Dog is the complex type whilst int, char and float are
primitives used to build it.
- A Dog may also have a name (String).
- However, a String is also a complex type, since it is really made up of a
series (a ’string’) of characters (char).
- So, an object is really a combination of primitive and other complex data
types.
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Java’s Primitives
Primitive Use Size Example
byte Small signed 8 bits (-128 to 127) byte b = 8;
numbers
short Small signed 16 bits (-32,768 to 32767) short s = 3456;
numbers
int Signed 32 bits (-2,147,483,648 to 2,147,483,647) int i = 22344;
numbers
long Large signed 64 bits (−9,223,372,036,854,775,808 to 9,223,372,036,854,775,807) long l = 32322;
numbers
float Floating point 32 bits (1.4e-45 to 3.4e38) float f = 5.678f;
numbers
double Floating point 64 bits (5e-324 to 1.8e308) double d = 33.444;
numbers
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char Single Unicode 16 bits char myChar = ‘A’;
Character
boolean true or false 1 bit boolean test = true;
Choosing the Right Size
- Java has four types (byte, short, int and long) for whole numbers and two
types (float, double) for real numbers. Why?
- The idea is that you choose the smallest data type possible for your
needs.
- For example, if you need to store a user’s age, then a byte is probably
enough, unless you expect users older than 127. Using anything larger
would be a waste of the computer’s memory – since regardless of what
value you place in the variable, it will always occupy the same amount of
space.
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Java’s Assumptions
- When Java encounters a real in your code, it will automatically assume it
to be an double.
- Hence:
float temperature = 10.2;
Won’t work, since Java assumes 10.2 is a double, and double > float.
float temperature = 10.2f;
This is fine, since the ‘f’ at the end tells Java this is a float.
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Java’s Assumptions
- When Java encounters a large whole number in your code, it will
automatically assume it to be an int.
- Hence:
long distanceToNeptune = 4487940000;
Won’t work, since Java assumes the number is an int, and that’s too big
for an int.
long distanceToNeptune = 4487940000l;
This is fine, since the ‘l’ at the end tells Java this is a long.
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Great work, you’ve completed this lesson!
Next up: Assignment and Expression
Statements.
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