What is the Difference Between Integer and Float?
🆚 Go to Comparative Table 🆚The main difference between integers and floats lies in the type of numbers they represent and their precision. Here are the key differences between the two:
- Integer: An integer (also known as int) is a whole number without a decimal point, such as 1, 2, 3, etc. It can be positive, negative, or zero. Integers are used to represent values like counting, indexing, or storing quantities that can only be whole numbers. They have exact precision and a larger range of representable values compared to floats.
- Float: A float is a floating-point number, which means it is a number that has a decimal place, such as 1.5, 3.14, etc. Floats are used when more precision is needed and can represent numbers with a decimal part. They have limited precision due to the constraints of floating-point representation and typically require more memory compared to integers because of the additional bits needed to store the decimal part.
In summary, integers are whole numbers without a decimal point, while floats are numbers with a decimal part. Integers have exact precision and a larger range of representable values, while floats have limited precision and are used for more complex mathematical operations involving decimal numbers.
Comparative Table: Integer vs Float
Here is a table highlighting the differences between integer and float data types:
Feature | Integer | Float |
---|---|---|
Data Type | Exact numerical values with no decimal part | Approximate numerical values with a floating-point representation |
Storage | Stored as a fixed number of bits | Stored in bytes, 4 bytes for single-precision and 8 bytes for double-precision |
Size | Fixed size, typically 4 bytes | Variable size depending on the precision and range of values |
Range | Limited to a specific range of integer values | Larger range of values, including fractions and decimals |
Precision | Fixed precision, no decimal places | Variable precision, with decimal places |
Use Cases | Suitable for storing whole numbers, like ID numbers or counts | Suitable for storing numbers with decimal places, like prices or measurements |
SQL Type | INT , INTEGER , BIGINT |
FLOAT , REAL , DOUBLE PRECISION |
In summary, integer data types store exact numerical values with no decimal part and are fixed in size, while float data types store approximate numerical values with a floating-point representation and can vary in size depending on the precision and range of values.
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