What is float in Java?

java floating-point
t0mkaka picture t0mkaka · Feb 22, 2011 · Viewed 405.8k times · Source

I wrote this code: 

float b = 3.6;

and I get this:

Error:Unresolved compilation problem: 
    Type mismatch: cannot convert from double to float

Why? Whats the definition of float?

Answer

Nicolas picture Nicolas · Feb 22, 2011

In Java, when you type a decimal number as 3.6, its interpreted as a double. double is a 64-bit precision IEEE 754 floating point, while floatis a 32-bit precision IEEE 754 floating point. As a float is less precise than a double, the conversion cannot be performed implicitly.

If you want to create a float, you should end your number with f (i.e.: 3.6f).

For more explanation, see the primitive data types definition of the Java tutorial.

Related questions

How to convert float to int with Java

I used the following line to convert float to int, but it's not as accurate as I'd like: float a=8.61f; int b; b=(int)a; The result is : 8 (It should be 9) When a = -7.65f, the result is : -7 (…

Read More
How to nicely format floating numbers to String without unnecessary decimal 0?

An 64-bit double can represent integer +/- 253 exactly Given this fact I choose to use a double type as a single type for all my types, since my largest integer is unsigned 32-bit. But now I have to print these …

Read More
Format Float to n decimal places

I need to format a float to "n"decimal places. was trying to BigDecimal, but the return value is not correct... public static float Redondear(float pNumero, int pCantidadDecimales) { // the function is call with the values Redondear(625.3f, 2) BigDecimal value = …

Read More