The difference between double and float in c language

The difference between double and float in C language

Double and float are both data types used to represent floating point numbers in C language. Their main differences are:

1. Precision:

• The precision of double is 64 bits, while the precision of float is 32 bits. This means that double can store more precise floating point numbers, especially when the numbers are very large or small.

2. Value range:

• The value range of double is larger than that of float. The minimum non-zero value that a double can store is 2^-1074, and the maximum value is 1.7976931348623157e 308. The minimum non-zero value of float is 2^-126 and the maximum value is 3.40282347e 38.

3. Storage size:

• double occupies 8 bytes of memory space, while float occupies 4 bytes.

Choose double or float

The choice between double or float depends on the level of precision required. For most applications, the precision of float is sufficient. However, when it comes to a lot of calculations or storing very large or very small numbers, double is the better choice.

When to use double

• When you need to perform precise calculations on large or small numbers.
• When very precise measurements need to be stored.
• When the application needs to comply with the IEEE-754 double precision standard.

When to use float

• When you need to save memory space.
• When the floating point precision requirement is not high.
• When the application is optimized for 32-bit processors.

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